• 2010 British GP

New Silverstone layout given green light

The new 'Arena Complex' will add 760 metres to the track length © Silverstone

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Silverstone has been given the go-ahead to use a new section of circuit for the 2010 British Grand Prix.

The 'Arena Complex' was originally designed for MotoGP, but when Silverstone won back the contract to hold the British Grand Prix from Donington, it immediately approached the FIA and Formula One Management (FOM) for approval to hold the race on the new piece of track. On Thursday FOM gave the final green light to use the new loop, which organisers are hoping will improve viewing for spectators as well as spicing up the racing.

"The 'Arena Complex' was always designed with both two and four-wheeled racing in mind," Silverstone's managing director Richard Phillips said. "We have been very careful, working closely with drivers and riders, to make sure we are improving and enhancing what Silverstone already has to offer - from a driver's, rider's and spectator's point of view."

The new F1 circuit will retain the majority of the high-speed track, but will lose the Abbey Chicane, Bridge Corner and the left-hander at Priory - all of which will remain intact to provide an alternative layout. Instead the drivers will now turn right at Abbey, before entering a 90 degree right-hander that opens into two left-hand turns linking the track to the existing National Circuit and eventually the old F1 circuit. The extra length is expected to increase F1 lap times by four seconds.

"Some will miss not seeing modern day F1 cars accelerating through Bridge, but we have to move with the times and continue looking at ways to improve the overall experience," said Phillips. "The new layout will bring an extra dimension to Silverstone, a new challenge for the drivers, and will enable fans to get closer to the action."

The £5 million 'Arena Circuit' extension is just the start of an extensive redevelopment programme that should see the pit and paddock area moved to the straight after Club Corner by the end of 2011. Silverstone has undergone a number of redesigns in the past, most notably the creation of the Complex towards the end of the lap in 1991.

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