F1: Montreal And Silverstone Set For Return

THE 2010 FORMULA 1 calendar is set to finally receive confirmation with organisers of the Silverstone and Montreal events on the cusp of signing deals Bernie Ecclestone.

Silverstone’s future appeared in doubt last week with Ecclestone suggesting he would be force to remove the British Grand Prix from the provisional calendar when the World Motor Sport Council meet next month.

However, Silverstone Holdings managing director Richard Phillips told the BBC the circuit is very close to finalising a stage the event for the next 10 years.

“I don't think there are any real stumbling blocks, we're going through the last details of the deal. I'm pretty convinced that it will be run at Silverstone next year,” he said.

Donington Park had initially won the rights to the British Grand Prix, but was forced to drop out of contention after failing to obtain mandatory funding, handing Silverstone a lifeline.

But Phillips revealed Silverstone Holdings was always confident F1 would return to its spiritual home, and had commissioned renovations in preparation to host the event in future.

“We always had the faith that the Grand Prix would return,” he said. “We've been planning for more than a year, we'll finish the track works in March and start on the new pits ready for 2011.”

While an announcement on Silverstone isn’t expected until early December, Montreal organisers are preparing to confirm as early as this week that Formula 1 will return to Canada.

Contracts between Ecclestone and the Montreal street circuit are currently being finalised with the Quebec government prepared to approve of the race’s return in the next few days.