Money was not the only issue. Cool-headed business negotiations broke down into emotive gameplay.
Ecclestone appeared frustrated at the British Racing Drivers’ Club’s (BRDC) failure to develop the true potential of British Formula 1: ‘Ecclestone slams “embarrassing” Silverstone’ (F1racing-live.com, 1 October).
BRDC chairman Jackie Stewart voiced his disappointment over the abandonment of the British Grand Prix by Ecclestone. ‘Sentiment and heritage take a back seat to cash’ (The Times, 1 October).
A little time and much back-room negotiating saw the war of words change to tones of appeasement – realisation perhaps that ‘Silverstone doesn’t have a divine right to hold a grand prix’ (The People, 3 October).
However, heritage, industry benefits and the event’s prestigious and lucrative impact warranted only temporary conciliation.
Analysis conducted by Echo Research from data supplied to PRWeek from NewsNow. www.echoresearch.com www.newsnow.co.uk
