Bernie Ecclestone should secure the future of the British grand prix by buying Silverstone.
That is the view of 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell, who is a staunch advocate of formula one remaining at the Northamptonshire venue.
“I think it would be wonderful if Bernie ended up buying the whole thing and doing something very special,” Mansell told the Daily Telegraph in Britain.
Silverstone’s current GP contract runs only until 2009. The circuit is perpetually high on Ecclestone’s list of gripes as he demands upgrades.
But Mansell said of the 76-year-old: “He is the only person who could afford to do that. It would cost a lot of money but Bernie is the godfather of motor sport.”
The former Ferrari, Williams and McLaren racer, however, refuses to pin the blame for Silverstone’s flagging fortunes on the diminutive ringmaster.
“Silverstone have been their own biggest enemy by not investing in the infrastructure,” Mansell charged.
