The British Grand Prix currently looks set to host rounds three and four of the 2020 Formula 1 season, but a new hurdle could now derail those plans.
Austria is hosting a double-header across consecutive weekends to kick-off the season and the plan is to then copy that format at Silverstone.
The green light has been given by the UK government, which gave the go-ahead for sporting events to resume and confirmed it would grant certain exemptions to the 14-day quarantine rule – vital if the F1 circus is to travel from Austria to the UK – but a disagreement has put the plan on hold, for now.
According to ‘high-level’ sources within F1, Silverstone bosses are making “unreasonable demands” over financial compensation for hosting two events with zero fans in attendance.
The British GP relies on ticket sales to offset the cost of hosting the event and only makes a small profit each year, however with no fans and therefore no income, the circuit is reportedly demanding compensation of £15 million according to BBC Sport.
F1 has agreed to waive the hosting fee and compensate the circuit to ensure it isn’t out of pocket, but this doesn’t amount to £15m fee. The offer covers costs to host the two races and a small amount of compensation to cover lost ticket sales.
However the two sides remain some way off an agreement despite Silverstone reportedly lowering its demands in the latest round of negotiations.
A spokesperson told BBC Sport: “Silverstone and F1 remain in close dialogue with each other and the relevant authorities to try to make a British Grand Prix happen behind closed doors.”
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