British Grand Prix record to fall as F1 chief drops hint about future of Silverstone race

Silverstone is set for another record-breaking year with HALF-A-MILLION fans expected at the British Grand Prix. That would smash the record four-day attendance set last year when 480,000 visitors went through the gates and witnessed Lewis Hamilton's fairytale victory.

Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali loves the "incredible" event and thinks Silverstone could stay in the sport "forever". But despite the obvious interest in F1 from British fans, he has ruled out the possibility of adding a second UK race any time soon.

"It will be huge, 500,000, it should be around that number," Domenicali told select media invited to F1's London offices on Tuesday, looking ahead to this weekend's event. "All the information that we have is headed to this new record, of which we are very pleased. It will be an incredible opportunity to share the passion which is, once again, incredible.

"The way the British fans love Formula 1, it's absolutely unique. When you see events like the Silverstone Grand Prix, when you see events like Goodwood, when you see these kinds of things, this kind of passion can only be lived here. I always said to people who love our sport, they should come here to understand what is the passion for racing and, of course, for Formula 1."

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F1 last year signed a contract extension with Silverstone which guarantees the British GP's presence on the annual calendar until 2034. Events in Miami and Austria have since signed even longer deals until 2041 and Domenicali says the same is available for Silverstone bosses if they want it. He said: "I cannot think of not having a race in the UK and I don’t see any other places where we can have such an incredible event, apart from Silverstone.

"I don’t see Silverstone not being able to do, if they want, what others have already done. I believe that Silverstone has the right characteristics to stay forever on the calendar. They did not request that to us so far. We have extended – nine years is a long time – but my point is if they want to put that on the table then I’m ready to do it."

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And the Italian was similarly open in his belief that a second race in the UK is off the table, replying to a question on that subject: "No, I don’t think so. Actually, 'I don't think' means, 'No'."

Silverstone is a much-loved British summer sporting spectacle but, with such huge crowds flocking to the Northamptonshire circuit, traffic often makes it difficult for fans to get in each day. Domenicali will bring that up when he meets with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street on Wednesday for an event marking the F1 World Championship's 75th anniversary.

He said: "When there are so many people, you will arrive at a bottleneck, but it's important to create a sort of network in order to minimize this. It's relevant to make sure that the Silverstone organization, through the MPs that are responsible for this area, will highlight the need that this infrastructure will benefit the area that is very important for an ecosystem that is bringing a lot of money to the country.

"We are not here to ask for money from the government perspective because, in this case, Silverstone is a private organisation that is able to finance that with us. But it's definitely important that, due to the system, the government needs to understand that F1 is something that has to be considered. I don't want to say first, second, but it has to be considered and we need to be respected for what we are producing for the country."