Seems a rather far-fetched idea… yes? Actually, no! It could become a reality! Talk of a Formula One race taking place through the historic streets of London has been part of the rumour mills for the last few years, but the latest proposal took a big step forward today as government ministers entered a consultation to significantly overhaul speed limit and road safety laws.
The latest proposal, believed to have been developed by Bernie Eccleston, a leading figure in Formula One, proposes a Monaco-style F1 Grand Prix route that’s 3.2 miles in length and would potentially see F1 drivers – Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, and others – reach speeds over 200mph along The Mall, past Buckingham Palace and through Parliament Square; famous London landmarks! Said to be worth in excess of £100 million in endorsements and ticket sales, for the proposal to become a reality, an Act of Parliament would need to be passed to suspend 30mph speed limits, plus other safety laws, along the entire length of the route. At the moment, although local authorities are able to close roads if necessary for sporting events, they do not have the power to suspend the law that all vehicles must be road legal and they can’t suspend the Road Traffic Act!
There is no doubt that the race would attract thousands to the UK’s capital, with F1 insiders predicting approximately 120,000 fans gracing the grandstands and lined several deep along the route; and this is not including the potential TV audience, globally, of a billion! If the proposal is accepted, bosses of Formula One will then need to seek permission to stage the event from Westminster City Council; a step that doesn’t seem too daunting and could well be welcomed by the Council’s Events Commissioner, Tim Owen. It appears that not only are senior Government ministers in favour of such an event being held in London, the City’s Mayor, Boris Johnson, also thinks it’s quite a good idea! Although environmental groups are less in favour, and they do raise good points about noise and pollution levels.
Of course, there would be a knock-on impact on other sporting events; it could well remove the potential legal obstacles that have held back staging Tour de France cycle stages in Cambridgeshire and Yorkshire this year… a case of watch this space!