Silverstone Managing Dir Patrick Allen, who replaced Richard Phillips last year, believes the cost of a race day ticket for the British Grand Prix "should be less than" £100 ($152), according to Phil Duncan of the London DAILY MAIL. The minimum price for a ticket is currently £155 ($236). Allen: "What I would like to do is see ticket prices falling for the British Grand Prix. In my mind I have the benchmark of a £99 admission ticket. I think that is what customers deserve." Tickets are "already on sale for this season's grand prix in July," with prices for a weekend ticket ranging from £175-£465 ($266-$708). The most expensive race day seats are priced at £340 ($518) (DAILY MAIL, 1/14). In London, Daniel Johnson reported execs at Silverstone are embarking on a "drastic course of cost cutting."
A new management team was appointed this month after a "bloody boardroom coup." To cut prices Allen has already ended "a number of major contracts,
including in catering and security, to save money." One source said, "They
have had to cut the business back to the bone. Allen has got very little
money to play with." Around 10 senior figures have lost
their jobs, including Phillips, Legal Dir David Thomson and Financial Dir Ed Brookes. The British Racing Drivers' Club also announced ticket sales were up 16% on this time last year (TELEGRAPH, 1/14).
