In another ultimateum to the organisers of the British Grand Prix, this time the Silverstone crew – F1 Boss Bernie Ecclestone has given the BRDC a 48 hour deadline to sign the contract if they wish to have a Grand Prix in 2010.

The Northamptonshire track had been poised to pick up the remnants of the failed Donington Park project, but the deal offered to them is believed to be the same as the one rejected by the BRDC in 2008 on the grounds that it is commercially unviable for the circuit to run at the terms of the contract.

Sources within the F1 paddock would suggest that the terms offered include a 7% year on year escalation fee, and that is that figure that appears to be the sticking point on the deal at the moment.

In many respects I don’t blame the BRDC for playing hard ball with Bernie, that escalation is compound interest and there is little point in beggaring the circuit to meet his financial demands. As an illustration on a £15 million deal to hold the race the interest over an 12 year period is calculated as follows:

Year 1	£15,000,000
Year 2	£16,050,000
Year 3	£17,173,500
Year 4	£18,375,645
Year 5	£19,661,940
Year 6	£21,038,276
Year 7	£22,510,955
Year 8	£24,086,722
Year 9	£25,772,793
Year 10	£27,576,888
Year 11	£29,507,270
Year 12	£31,572,779

So you can see what financial demands Silverstone would face if they inked the deal rumoured to be offered 18 months ago. If it was signed, Silverstone would be forced to raise ticket prices to accomodate their financial commitments so be sure to thank Bernie for that one.

The team in charge of the Grand Prix were in Abu Dhabi at the weekend to thrash out at deal, and Bernie has apparently made some concessions. According to Bernie both parties are not too far apart with regards to the terms of the contract and according to Ecclestone all Silverstone need to do now is “find a pen”.

We will bring you updates of the deal when we know them. In the mean time BritsOnPole.com are running a campaign to save the British Grand Prix and you can help here:

Five things you can do that might just make a difference

Demonstrate to Bernie that this race can still be successful:

We know there’s absolutely zero point trying to get our views heard by Formula One Management. But there might be some mileage in demonstrating that the event can be profitable, even though three months’ worth of ticket-selling time has already been wasted.

If you’re on tenterhooks waiting for tickets to become available, and aiming to be at the front of the queue to buy yours, turn your anticipation into something concrete with this Pledgebank pledge.

We’re aiming get people who are planning or hoping to attend the race to show their support for it in a tangible way, so please consider signing up.

Let Silverstone know that you want to buy a ticket

Whether you preferred Donington, Silverstone or even an outside bet like Brands Hatch, it really is time to accept that it’s probably the old Northamptonshire airfield or bust, at least for 2010.

Now, we respect the circuit’s need to come to an arrangement with Formula One management that is in its long-term commercial interest. And we know that a lot of ticket-selling time has been lost. But equally, we think it’s worth proving the strength of demand for this event. So, if you want to buy a ticket, make that clear. Let Silverstone know that you’d like to attend the race here. Ask them to inform you immediately if tickets go on sale.

Lobby the Formula One Teams’ Association

One of the few organisations in F1 that has shown any awareness that fans even have views – although if we are honest it has tended to be because those views accorded with its needs at the time.

Even so, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said recently: “A lot of changes that have occurred in Formula One over recent years haven’t really taken into account the wishes of fans and we haven’t brought those into the thought process. And hopefully in future we will see much more of that.”

So we suggest letting FOTA know that you want the British Grand Prix to stay on the calendar. Find their contact details here.

Lobby your favourite team

Following on from FOTA, it is worth noting that the date of the Monaco Grand Prix has just been moved by a week – because that’s what the teams needed to happen.

Help convince them to bring that power to bear on our behalf. You can find contact details for all the British-based teams hereand many, such as Brawn GP, Red Bull and McLaren, also maintain a presence on Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites.

Let them know that their fans want to see them race in Britain next July, and ask them to help make sure the event happens.

Contact your MP

It’s part of your MP’s job to represent your views to ministers. And they do take a great deal of notice of ‘background noise’ – what issues are currently of concern to their constituents.

So we suggest using this website to let your MP know that the future of the British Grand Prix is important to you and to ask that he or she makes sure sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe is aware of that fact too. Keep it brief and polite.

You might want to mention the importance of motorsport jobs to the British economy, the fact that the race is one of the country’s great sporting events, the development of important safety and eco-friendly technologies such as enhanced brake efficiency, run-flat tyres and KERS, or its potential to promote tourism and regional growth. Don’t fall prey to cynicism, this is undoubtedly worth doing – but we’ll say again, keep it brief and polite.

Tell your friends! Please pass the link to this page on to as many people as you can. Here’s a custom shortlink: http://bit.ly/8tuzJ