There’s a saying relating to London buses: You wait ages for one, and then two come along at once.
Well, if you want predictable regularity, then you need look no further than stories relating to a London Grand Prix. Every few years, there’s a story in a British newspaper that suggests it could happen on the city’s streets.
One of the funnier storylines was when a proposal for a CGI film for F1 sponsor Santander was taken seriously, despite the track including a run through Admiralty Arch (Google it) and restricting access to sections of parliament and Buckingham Palace. That said, not all have been quite so outlandish.
The capital of England was a target of former F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone’s for some time, and similarly got a little bit of Liberty Media’s interest as it focused on destination cities for new venues, but there’s never really been a viable option.
Then on Tuesday, the latest installment landed. First reported by The Times, a partnership between environmental group LDN Collective and consultancy firm DAR announced plans to transform part of east London known as Docklands and deliver “a new sports and leisure master plan which guides the transformation of the Royal Docks into a global waterfront destination.” The icing on the cake? A Formula 1 circuit that could host a London Grand Prix.
As a concept, it looks awesome — taking inspiration from the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal and having something that is a leisure hub on the waterfront (even using the docks for some floating modules that can be reconfigured whenever required) that hides an F1 track underneath.
“We know that Formula 1 is interested in hosting a Grand Prix here and we have designed a track that meets all of their requirements and regulations,” LDN Collective CEO Max Farrell said. “We have discussed the proposals with the GLA (Greater London Authority), who are developing a water strategy and planning framework with Newham Council, which we will align with.
“With or without F1, these proposals are transformational and would be a huge boost to London and the UK globally.”
The only issue is that F1 itself says there has been “no proposal sent to us and no discussions.”
And that’s where the “with or without F1” part of Farrell’s comments kick in. It’s perhaps easiest for a potential promoter in London to send a proposal to Stefano Domenicali and company given the company has its headquarters in the same city, but the latest idea appears to be a one-way street, albeit in a different direction to the past.
Previously, many London Grand Prix stories have been so easy to dismiss because there was no way local councils would accept such disruption and cost to put on the event. F1 might have wanted a race there, but it wasn’t getting a particularly positive reception.
Now, the tables have turned. F1’s boom in recent years has seen so many venues wanting to earn a spot on the calendar. Add to London the likes of South Africa or Colombia that have managed to generate headlines for races that have yet to come to fruition, and in some cases look far fetched at best.