Bernie Ecclestone has admitted that he has been in talks with Donington to host the British Grand Prix at the venue the last held the honour in 1993.

Ecclestone has long been a critic of the Silverstone track and the BRDC, and believes that the Donington Ventures has a better chance of securing the annual fee and capital investment reauired to stage the race than the Silverstone management.

To what extent this is another example of sabre rattling by the F1 Supremo is yet to be understood, but Ecclestone is well known for his megaphone diplomacy, and the timing, just two weeks ahead of the British Grand Prix could be yet another tactic in his negotiations with the BRDC.

The root cause of the problem is money. With a limited calendar, and a host of wealthy middle and far east countries lining up to hand over tens of millions of pounds to stage an F1 race, the British circuits just can't compete. With Formula 1 in the hands of CVC Capital Partners, return on investment is a key requirement, increasing the chances that Formula 1 may soon no longer have a home in the British Isles.