Graphic: breaking the circuits: pros and cons for each track

A mystery investor has put up £100 million to help to seize the rights to stage the British Grand Prix at Donington Park after a last-ditch appeal to the Government failed to save the race for Silverstone.

Even as Formula One cars were hurtling around the historic Silverstone circuit yesterday in practice for tomorrow’s race, Bernie Ecclestone, the sport’s mercurial ringmaster, was making the surprise announcement that blew out the candles on Silverstone’s 60th birthday celebrations.

Although Ecclestone had confirmed exclusively to The Times last month that Donington, near Nottingham, had made a bid, few in the sport believed that the race, which will attract 90,000 fans tomorrow, would leave the home of British motor racing. Officials from the British Racing Drivers’ Club, which owns Silverstone, were on their way back from a meeting with Gerry Sutcliffe, the Sports Minister, at Westminster late on Thursday when Ecclestone decided to ignore their pleas for a two-week reprieve and sign a ten-year contract with Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd.

His decision is a severe blow to Silverstone, but it does mean that the British race is safe until 2010 – provided that Donington can carry out a huge reconstruction of the circuit. Developing Donington is fraught with problems and the circuit is widely thought to be outdated. It also has poor road access and is underneath the flight path of the neighbouring East Midlands airport.

But Ecclestone is confident that it will be ready to stage a grand prix from 2010 after the promise of significant investment. “I have been trying to get sense out of Silverstone for five years,” he said. “It was just too frustrating. I always said the British Grand Prix was the deadline and they weren’t ready. We have been talking about this for too long and I don’t want to go on talking any more.”