Ecclestone - 'No British GP in 2010'

Bernie Ecclestone on Wednesday said there are currently no plans to stage a British grand prix in 2010.

Quoted by the Daily Telegraph newspaper, the F1 chief executive likened negotiations about a new contract for the Silverstone race, whose existing deal runs out next year, to a "dead duck".

It is reported that grand prix promoters the BRDC recently received a new contract from Ecclestone's office demanding an initial $22m per year race fee. The British Racing Drivers' Club apparently returned the unsigned document asking for a discount. Money, however, is not the only stumbling block, as 77-year-old Ecclestone is stalwartly also demanding that Silverstone rapidly begins its promised pit and paddock upgrade.

"I suppose they could come back to me," he said. "They could get the building done in six months. But I would not put any money on it.

"The BRDC know the terms. If they meet them, then we are in business. But at the moment they can't and therefore there is no race in 2010," Ecclestone added.