The London Grand Prix

‘THEY have tried many things over the years to make Formula 1 more exciting.

David Coulthard is pulled over for jumping a red light

They cut the sound whenever Nigel Mansell opened his mouth; they slipped vodka into the drivers’ pre-race drinks; and more recently they have made Michael Schumacher drive with both hands tied behind his back.

But the sport continues to be as dull as, well, watching a series of multi-millionaires parading around in their swish cars.

No longer – the Times reports that London has announced a £20m bid to bring Formula 1 racing (as it is still quaintly named) to the streets of the capital.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone wants to stage a grand prix in the city within four years, suggesting that it would attract two million tourists.

‘Every hotel room would be full and every seat in every restaurant would be taken during a grand prix weekend,’ he said, as 300,000 thronged the West End yesterday to see a Formula 1 demonstration along Piccadilly and Regent Street.

‘We will bust a gut to put on the best Formula 1 race in the world. Whatever we spend, we would get back because it would be a great investment.’

It will also be fantastically exciting – watch the cars crawl up Piccadilly at 6mph, see them try to avoid the bus lane on Regent Street, marvel as they get stuck in the one-way system by Oxford Street.

And sympathise as an overzealous traffic warden gives them a parking ticket as they go into the pits to refuel…’

Posted: 7th, July 2004 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink