Silverstone issues remarkable offer to F1 over calendar headache

Silverstone, host of the British Grand Prix, has offered to stage a second race this year to help fill the void left by the cancellation of two events.

Conflict in the Middle East saw the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds removed from their original April slots.

This created a substantial gap in the calendar, which is set to end this weekend as the season resumes at the Miami Grand Prix.

No replacement dates have yet been announced for the two cancelled events, leaving the current schedule at 22 rounds.

However, Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle has stated that the British circuit is prepared to host a second race this year to compensate for the lost Middle Eastern rounds.

“I have offered,” Pringle told Sky News. “We stepped in during COVID, and we were able to help F1. If that would help, of course we will.

“There are numerous practicalities that need to be considered.

“The offer is in, they know we are here and we can move quickly if asked.

When asked if there are spare windows that an additional race could slot into, Pringle replied: “I pride myself on not having spare windows, but everything is movable in a crisis.”

Silverstone hosted two races during the 2020 season - the British Grand Prix and the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

F1 insisted there are “headaches and complexities” over navigating the schedule, but insisted it is too early to decide if the Middle Eastern events are completely lost this year.

“Everyone can look at the TV, see the news every day that the situation is so fluid and so dynamic,” said Liam Parker, F1's chief corporate relations officer.

“Nobody knows what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone in September and October.”