Should London be the track in England to replace Silverstone
 

Should London be the track in England to replace Silverstone.

How a London GP might look

Could a Formula One race be held around London's streets?

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, unhappy with Silverstone as a venue for the British Grand Prix, has refused to rule out switching the race to the capital.

On the face of it, it seems a crazy idea. The average speed of traffic in central London is three miles an hour - hardly the basis for a thrilling battle between the finest drivers on the planet.

But think about the notion a little more, and it suddenly starts to seem possible - in theory at least.

Let's put on hold the very real possibility that this is merely Ecclestone continuing to put the squeeze on the British Racing Drivers' Club, which owns the track at Silverstone.

If you can stage a Grand Prix around the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, why not London?

26 miles of London's roads are closed every Sunday in April for the marathon. On the basis that each lap of the Monaco GP is only 2.09 miles long, a London GP would require a far smaller area to be cordoned off than the marathon.

In terms of the route, the race would require a combination of long fast straights, tight technical turns and a stream of famous landmarks to underline its unique status.

What better place for the starting-grid than the Trafalgar Square end of the Mall, with the cars screaming down towards Buckingham Palace in the first few moments of the race?

Diving right at the Queen's official residence (would Elizabeth swap Corgis for cornering for the afternoon?) the route would follow Constitution Hill to Hyde Park Corner, see the cars go left around the roundabout and then up Park Lane - within a stone's throw of motor-racing legend Stirling Moss' Mayfair home.

At Marble Arch the cars would have to follow the existing flow round to the left, in a turn as tight as the Loews Turn at Monaco, before diving into top gear for the long straight down past the department stores of Bond Street to Oxford Circus.

Barrelling down Regent's Street, the route would ease round the statue of Eros in the centre of Piccadilly Circus and then chase up Shaftesbury Avenue to Cambridge Circus.

A tight right-hander takes the drivers down Charing Cross Road, past Leicester Square and back into Trafalgar Square, where they sizzle round Nelson's Column before exiting through Admiralty Arch and back into the Mall.

Sure, there would be issues with narrow roads and a bumpy surface - but those are exactly the factors that make Monaco such a special test of drivers' skills.


Where would the teams set up their garages? The smart answer is King's Cross, seeing that the area has been the pits for years already.

But in terms of our starting-grid, you would have to go for Horse Guards Parade or St James' Park.

So that's that - a piece of cake, if you ignore the enormous issues of the fantastical cost, the serious safety concerns and the horrendous problems of seating and transporting hundreds of thousands of spectators...

A map if F1 new british track would be London insted of Silverstone.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...route1_416.gif

I'd go to watch it :P ... not sure if this could happen though... the shops would be pretty pissed etc... :|

It sure would be great to hear the engine sounds richocheting off the tall buildings 8)

The only reservation is feasability - its not really going to happen is it? - and it is a bit of a rip off from the Monaco GP.... held in a rich city... :)

BUT - it would help to make F1 appeal more to the UK... everybody could get there easily and there would be lots of space to spectate... (or would there?... there is not really room for any grandstands in the centre of London :wink: ).

A Nice idea... but it ain't gonna work :wink:

LOL i'd think this was an april fool if it wasn't nearly june :lol: I bet the queen would be well amused by F1 cars practically flying past her window :P

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...route1_416.gif
Look at bottom left :wink:

yea it sounds like abit of fantasy to me

I had a joke about this in Motor Vehicle at College at the tutor I say this to him, then I go the F1 driver might have to pay the london congestion charge. Then the tutor goes they would have to speed very fast and stop, in the race and pay at the paying booth to carry on the race lol.

The F1 cars have already been on the streets of London! But only at parade speed lol

Would be quality to do it, but I have my doubts! The up-roar that it would cause does not bare thinking about!!

I wounder if they would be charged the congestion fee?? lol

are there speed cameras in london?

great idea, I love monte carlo gp, this would be a great race, I wish they could keep silverstone on schedule as well though, maybe alternate every other year; I figure this will probably not happen, but an idea of london gp and its location seem real appealing

Not many in the centre... there is no opportunit to speed :roll: :wink:

On the M25 ring road there are loads and in all suburban areas ... lets blow up the Gatsos :twisted:

The F1 cars would get caught... like on Top Gear... you need to be doing 170mph+ to not get caught :P ... the F1s would struggle to get over 180mph in London... especially with the poor road surfaces :(

Lol I think its a really good idea actually, especially as it would create loads of publicity for the sport! Is anyone else going to the F1 parade on Regent St in June?

i can't go :cry: .. got exams around then

Lol yeah me too, but i think it'll be a "well deserved" break from revision to go and see some F1 cars screaming through london! :lol:

um i think an F1 race in Paris would be a crazy idea, but this looks good, but the track doens't look very good, needs a re-design

Well... I gotta see that for believe it!