Taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the venue for the final round of the Formula One World Championship, Ecclestone will canvas the comments of the team bosses over the future of a race which continues to hang in the balance.
The race, held annually at Silverstone, was originally left off the provisional calendar for 2005 – then reinstated. However, earlier this week Ecclestone publicly declared the race was ‘almost certainly off’. Talks continue between him and the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) – the track’s owners – and hopes remain a new deal can be reached.
The current sticking point appears to be over the length of the deal and the costs involved.
Following a board meeting yesterday, BRDC chairman Ray Bellm said: “We have been in intense negotiations for nine months and we met the bulk of the terms, including closing the gap on fees. We thought we were close to agreement. However the major stumbling block is over the length of contract.
“The only way forward for us is a two-year contract which would give us time to plan and secure the long term future for the British Grand Prix. We have financial limits on what we can afford. We need a British Grand Prix to sustain the long term stability of the valuable British motorsport industry and for the sake of Silverstone. We have done our utmost to come to an agreement but the present terms are not financially viable.”
Relations between Ecclestone and the BRDC took another turn for the worst amid reports Ecclestone is to sue its president Jackie Stewart for what he claims was a libellous statement made in a BBC radio interview.
According to reports Ecclestone's lawyers said the libel proceedings centred around a claim by Stewart that Ecclestone had "reneged on alleged promises given to the (UK) Minister of Sport" which might have saved the race.
