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Bratches Hints At Staging British Grand Prix Away From Silverstone

Sean Bratches said that nothing is immutable in F1 in terms of where races are held.GETTY IMAGES

Formula 1 Managing Dir, Commercial Operations Sean Bratches "hinted the British Grand Prix could move away from Silverstone to preserve the future of the race," according to Scott Mitchell of AUTOSPORT. Last year, Silverstone execs activated a break clause in the race's contract, which was agreed under F1's previous ownership, making the '19 event "the last one under the current deal." There has not been any "public progress on negotiating a new deal." In an interview issued by F1 ahead of this weekend's Brazilian GP, Bratches was asked if there is "any likelihood of a historic race like Britain or Italy moving to a street track." Bratches said, "We're a 68-year-old entity and the nature of grand prix racing is that it is dynamic. Silverstone was the first grand prix, but we haven't raced at Silverstone all those 68 years. The race has been held at Brands Hatch and other venues. Nothing is immutable in this sport in terms of where we race" (AUTOSPORT, 11/7). ESPN.com's Laurence Edmondson reported Bratches explained that he wants to see "a mix of circuit types" on the calendar, with an "emphasis on growing the number of street races," such as the proposed circuit in Hanoi. Bratches said, "We look at it in three ways. Firstly, we want to preserve the heritage races. They are very important to Formula 1, and they are very important to fans. I'm talking about the Silverstones, the Spas, the Monzas of this world. Then we have a set of street races and hybrid street races, where we race in parks and on city streets, such as Melbourne, Montreal and Mexico City. The third segment features purpose-built facilities such as Shanghai; Austin, Texas; and Bahrain. Beyond that, we are looking to identify further street races, so this race is a further step in terms of our vision" (ESPN.com, 11/8). REUTERS' Alan Baldwin reported Bratches said that the sport values and wants to keep the "heritage races" -- such as Silverstone, Spa and Monza -- and recognizes "their importance to fans." Bratches: "But we are a business. We are a public company and we have a lot of stakeholders and shareholders and we're trying to marry what's best for fans with running a successful business" (REUTERS, 11/7).

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