Silverstone and F1 reach deal to hold British GP

Formula 1 and Silverstone have reached an agreement to stage back-to-back races at the home of the British Grand Prix.

The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC), which owns the Northamptonshire track, and F1 have agreed terms for Silverstone to hold two races on consecutive weekends in July and August.

It is expected the races will be held on July 26 and August 2 and a contract will be signed soon after an initial agreement was reached following negotiations this week.

Silverstone had already confirmed the British Grand Prix - which was originally scheduled for July 19 - would be run behind closed doors.

"I am delighted to confirm that Silverstone and Formula 1 have reached an agreement in principle to host two races behind closed doors this summer,” Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle said in a statement.

"However these races will be subject to government approval, as our priority is the safety of all involved and strict compliance with Covid-19 regulations.

"I would like to thank all our fans who have been so supportive throughout this and to assure them we are determined to do all we can to help Formula 1 put on a show this summer.”

An F1 spokesperson added: "We are continuing to have conversations with Silverstone and other promoters regarding a revised 2020 calendar."

F1’s hopes of staging races at Silverstone without fans were handed a boost last week following updated guidance from the UK Government, which outlined how it plans to ease its lockdown restrictions and resume professional sport in the country.

F1 is currently in talks with the government in a bid to secure an exemption for its staff from a new quarantine rule which will require international travellers to observe a 14-day self-isolation period so that F1 personnel can travel from the planned season-opener in Austria to Great Britain. 

Failure to reach an agreement would likely scupper plans to hold two races at Silverstone as the F1 paddock would be effectively stuck in Austria. 

In other developments, the Belgian government has given Spa-Francorchamps the green light to host a behind closed doors race on its original date of August 30. A deal is yet to be agreed with F1 but an official announcement is expected in the coming days.