The head of Silverstone’s management team has welcomed the result of the EU referendum and urged Britain’s next prime minister to get behind motorsport in the wake of Brexit.
Patrick Allen, managing director of the Silverstone circuit, venue of Sunday’s British Grand Prix, said: “Brexit could help us because if we are out of Europe then European state aid rules can now be forgotten about and the government can look at whether it should be funding the industry of motorsport that has tens of thousands of jobs at stake and contributes tens of billions to the UK economy. We ourselves contribute £80m to the economy. So this is a good thing to support.
“We are the only race on the Formula One circuit that doesn’t receive either benefactor money or government money.”
With either Theresa May or Andrea Leadsom to be confirmed as Britain’s new PM in the next few weeks, Allen is getting his plea in early.
He added: “We should be investing in what Britain has always been, at the vanguard of innovation and technology, and there is no greater example than motorsport. The government should take a serious look at it. Formula One is just a tiny piece of the iceberg of British motor racing as an industry.”
Silverstone has a deal in place to host the British Grand Prix until 2026, though a clause in the contract means that Formula One’s chief executive, Bernie Ecclestone, could take the race away in 2019.
In the short term though, Allen, who has transformed Silverstone in less than two years at the helm, driving up attendance figures and adding extra entertainments, admits that Brexit could have had a negative effect on this year’s ticket sales, which are down on last year.
“Sales have still been good but I think Brexit has made a few think about money and whether they will have a job.
“The high and lower ends have not been affected but the squeezed middle, who would be paying £250 for a grandstand ticket, might be thinking about whether they need to spend that money. The uncertainty around Brexit might be paralysing some people’s spending. Uncertainty is not a good thing when it comes to people spending money”
Sunday’s race will also be up against the men’s Wimbledon final and the final of Euro 2016. But Allen added: “General admission is way up on last year and our corporate hospitality is pretty much sold out.”
Allen has also urged spectators to get behind Lewis Hamilton this weekend. “Lewis will be coming to Silverstone just a few points behind Nico Rosberg, after Austria. So it could be Silverstone, his home grand prix, that tilts it for him and puts him in the lead, which could springboard his fourth world title, which would be fantastic. And he likes this circuit. It suits his aggressive style.”
But Allen feels that more drivers should follow Hamilton’s style and do more to promote the sport. He said: “I like Lewis’s rather irreverent attitude towards the establishment. He’s got a personality and he’s not afraid to show. He will do his music stuff and be seen with the stars and all the rest of it. What do people know about Kimi Raikkonen or Max Verstappen?
“In the old days we had James Hunt with a wreath round his neck and a cigarette in his mouth and a bottle of beer in his hand and that image was something people could associate with. We miss a few characters.
“Look at Nascar. Their drivers are like rock stars. Valentino Rossi is like a rock star. Where are the rock stars in Formula One? Lewis is the only one.
“The drivers make a lot of money from fans buying their merchandise and following them. They have a duty to say to their teams and to F1 that they are going out there and sign autographs and get on stage and show the colour of their personalities, instead of hiding behind their helmets.”
