Yahoo Finance Toto Wolff presses Mayor Sadiq Khan to get behind London Grand Prix
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has called on recently re-elected Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to get behind a London Grand Prix on the Formula 1 calendar.
The idea of a race in the capital has long been mooted by Formula 1 bosses with Docklands most recently put forward as the likely potential host for the race.
Covid had put the idea of a second race in Britain alongside the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, on the back burner, but a London Grand Prix has now received the backing of one of the most influential figures in the sport in Wolff.
“I would like that we have a grand prix in Silverstone as this is what the fans love and Silverstone is part of the traditional circuit of races in Formula 1,” he told Standard Sport.
“But racing in London would top everything and I hope that the Mayor of London and [the Prime Minister] Mr Johnson read this and we get that going.”
F1’s former ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone had previously been at the heart of plans for a race in the capital, at one stage offering up £35million to run it past some of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
And at the end of 2018, interest renewed in a possible second race in Britain with Liberty Media exploring the possibility of it taking place in Greater London.
F1’s head of motorsport Ross Brawn had previously told Standard Sport: “We would like to see London complement Silverstone, not replace it.”
Khan wants to push ahead with his ambition of making London the sporting capital of the world during his second term as Mayor with aspirations for big events, including the Olympics returning as early as 2036.
And Wolff believes a race through the streets of the capital would be the ideal opportunity to showcase F1’s technologies and latest innovations to a wider audience.
“We have the most efficient hybrid engines in the world and the current superstar is a British guy so racing in London showcasing our technology and our innovative capability, let’s go,” he said. “Let’s go racing in London.”
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