F1 News: New street circuit to replace Silverstone?

What's the story?

F1 could lose one of its most iconic circuits on the F1 calendar as the British Grand Prix may no longer be held in Silverstone from 2020.

But, there is a likelihood of another circuit being added to the F1 calendar to replace Silverstone, as London's mayor Sadiq Khan, is keen on a street race in London for 2020 and beyond.

In case you didn't know...

The British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC), which own and run the Silverstone circuit, confirmed that the 2019 running of the grand prix in Silverstone will be the last one in F1 due to monetary reasons, and that the BRDC will initiate a break clause.

The Silverstone circuit has hosted the British Grand Prix since 1950, only missing out on the F1 calendar for a few years. There was talk about Donnington Park hosting the British Grand Prix, but they had to pull out due to financial reasons as well.

The heart of the matter

After hosting the 2012 London Olympics, the city of London has hosted many major sporting events, and will host a few more in the coming years.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London stated recently that the city is looking forward to hosting "world’s biggest and best sport events" and that F1 is one of the sporting events that they are interested in hosting.

“London is always open to hosting the world’s biggest and best sport events – from the final of UEFA Euro 2020 to the NFL, and the Cricket World Cup to Major League Baseball. The Mayor believes that it should be possible to organise a race in London in the future and has asked his team to explore options with F1,” said a statement by a spokesperson of the London mayor's office.

What's next?

Liberty Media, the owners of F1, are keen on adding more street races, but F1 sporting director Ross Brawn has said that a street race in London and a race in Silverstone can be held in the same F1 calendar.