Gillett has two weeks

Donington has what appears to be a final two-week period to prove it has the money in place to stage next year’s British Grand Prix, with Bernie Ecclestone saying the circuit is now in breach of the contract it signed with him.

The Leicestershire venue’s operating company, Donington Ventures Leisure Limited, had initially been given to the end of September to raise the money needed to complete its major redevelopment of the circuit, a deadline that had since been extended.

DVLL chief executive Simon Gillett issued a statement on Monday evening claiming that Ecclestone had granted the circuit a further fortnight reprieve, saying the track remained “committed to delivering on the promises we made at the start of this process” when it lured the British GP away from Silverstone from 2010.


However, Ecclestone has now insisted that he hasn’t given Donington an extended deadline, saying that an additional two-week period has been activated as the circuit has now breached the terms of its 17-year contract with him.

“We haven’t decided to give Gillett another deadline at all,” Ecclestone told the Daily Telegraph.


“We have informed him he is in breach of contract.

“The contract which we have gives him 14 days to remedy the breach. Most business contracts are like that.”

Ecclestone admitted last weekend that he could not see how the circuit would complete its multi-million pound revamp in time for next July’s race even if Gillett managed to finally secure the funding.

The F1 impresario says he has not spoken to Gillett and confirmed that should financial details not be forthcoming over the next two weeks then Donington’s F1 ambitions are over.

“I’ve been thinking he’s going to come through all the way along because he’s sort of led me to believe it’s all OK,” he said.

“But I have no reason to discuss anything with him.

“He’s either going to remedy the breach or he isn’t. If he isn’t then that’s the end of the story.


"If he is then we’re going to have to make sure that he does all the other things that the contract provides for.”

With Donington teetering on the brink of losing the right to hold the British GP from 2010, Ecclestone has previously confirmed that the event will return to long-time home Silverstone should its rival not deliver.

Damon Hill, the president of Silverstone track owner the BRDC, had already made it clear the circuit is not interested in a one-year stop-gap agreement – and a longer-term commitment is something Ecclestone appears ready to agree to.

"We have an agreement with Silverstone that in the event of a breach we will talk to them and we will be discussing this,” Ecclestone was quoted as saying by the Guardian newspaper.


"Of course it is no good for them [the BRDC] having a one-year job, for sure.


“We'll talk to them and see but we won't return to Silverstone under the same conditions.


“There's nothing wrong with Silverstone; the only thing is they promised things that didn't happen."


And asked if Donington’s 17-year deal would be transferred to Silverstone, Ecclestone added: “Silverstone will have the opportunity of exactly the same contract as Donington.”