Brite plans Formula 1 GP on the streets of London

The London site, which is the focus of the consortium’s plans – the group of environmental experts LDN Collective and consultancy DAR – is in Docklands in the city’s eastern suburbs, according to The Times newspaper.

The plan overcomes the environmental hurdles that have hampered any GP scenario on London’s streets in the past, as it includes floating structures that will be used for walking and cycling on all other days of the year and will be dismantled to reveal the F1 circuit.

In the days leading up to the race, these structures will be temporarily converted into platforms for watching the F1 race, with a capacity of 95,000 spectators, as well as supporting buildings. The track is almost 6 kilometers long, with 22 corners of all kinds.

At the same time, the initiators of the plan also came up with an innovative idea for the construction of the team garages: it will be housed on the first floor of the ExCeL building, which in recent years has housed the respective pitches of the Formula E races in the British capital . There will be a platform between the playing fields and the home stretch, which will offer a better view to both sides.

The consortium is including the F1 track in its overall plans to create a “World-class destination for water sports, quality time and fun“. It is an installation similar to the track on Panagia Island in Montreal, Canada.

According to British reports, the possible staging of the GP on the streets of London will not jeopardize the British GP’s place in the F1 schedule, which will be held at Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, north of London. However, Silverstone’s F1 contract expires at the end of 2024.

Despite the publicity the LDN Collective/DAR plans have received, reports in the Times that contact has been made between the consortium and Liberty Media, owner of F1’s commercial rights, are controversial. And London authorities are not confirming a possible offer for a general practitioner in the Docklands – despite their plans to revitalize the area with private investment in the region of 300 million euros.

However, LDN Collective / DAR intend to submit their formal proposal within the next 12 months and claim that the construction of the circuit and the rehabilitation of the area can be completed within 2 years to host the first GP there in August 2026. .

We remind you that this is not the first time that the idea of ​​a GP has been explored on the streets of metropolitan England. In the early 2010s, then-F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone was considering a plan for a circuit that would pass by London’s most iconic landmarks, including Buckingham Palace. In fact, Liberty Media considered a similar proposal before renewing its deal with Silverstone in 2019.