Bernie Ecclestone offered to purchase Silverstone

Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has revealed he offered to buy Silverstone to help save the British Grand Prix. The future of the event which straddles the border of Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire remains in doubt over financial issues.

"They must be comfortable, Silverstone. I asked them if they wanted to sell because I would have bought it, and they didn't want to sell. They were not interested," Ecclestone told Autosport.

"We could have had the race, obviously. Anyway, they don't want to sell, so they're not comfortable. They're not desperate, but they've got to have an F1 race."

When asked what his plans would have been if they did sell, he replied: "I wouldn't have been directly involved as such."

Silverstone triggered an early end to their contract with the help of a break clause. John Grant, the BRDC chairman said in 2017, the accumulation of losses were "reaching a tipping point", and something must be done.

Liberty Media is working to retain the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, but they've also demonstrated keen interest on hosting a Grand Prix in London. Ecclestone, in a similar position a decade ago suggested it'll be to difficult to sort out.

"We looked at it. We looked at the whole thing, about eight or 10 years ago. It's too complicated, with too many restrictions," Ecclestone concluded.