Button-mania snags Silverstone
Demand for 2007 British GP tickets rockets
Jenson Button
It would appear that the British driver's loyal fans have been equally jubilant – so much so that their eagerness to book tickets to watch their hero drive at his home Grand Prix in 2007 has caught the Northamptonshire circuit by surprise.
This week, the Silverstone switchboard has been inundated with enquiries about tickets for next year’s race, and circuit bosses have responded by doubling the number of people manning the phones in its call centre.
Silverstone boss Richard Phillips said: “I’m not sure what surprised us more -- Jenson’s win in Hungary, or the impact of his victory and the subsequent demand for tickets to next year’s British Grand Prix. It’s no secret that a successful British driver helps generate interest in both Formula One as a sport and the British Grand prix as an event but, if I’m honest, we weren’t prepared for the reaction from fans following Jenson’s win.
“The call centre staff have certainly earned their money over the past few days. We’ve been doing our best to answer calls as quickly as possible, but some people will, unfortunately, have had to wait longer than anticipated. We’ve now doubled up on the number of staff manning phones in the call centre, so waiting times should be considerably reduced.”
Tickets for the 2007 British Grand Prix are due to go on sale from Monday 4 September and, while full details won’t be announced until that date, Phillips has confirmed that the cost of a three day general admission ticket will be frozen, at £99, for the third year running.
Phillips said: “We evaluate our ticket pricing strategy after every event and the British Grand Prix is no exception. We are committed to adding value to the fans’ overall experience and next year’s pricing strategy will reflect this. We’ll be announcing ticket details at the beginning of September, but I can already confirm that the General Admission price for all three days of the British Grand Prix has been kept at £99 – effectively £33 per day.
“We always knew Jenson was popular with the British fans, but the reaction to his win has been fantastic. What’s more, with David Coulthard re-confirmed at Red Bull Racing, and Lewis Hamilton leading the GP2 Championship, we could potentially have three British drivers lining up on the start grid for next year’s British Grand Prix.”
Of course, this couldn't be a bit of sledging to ride the wave and capture early ticket money in a quiet news month, could it?
His only hope is Aguri as the other teams are now close to being settled. Next year's Aguri is likely to be a development of this year's Honda. Aguri's preference is an all Japanese lineup, but they may reconsider if Yamamoto doesn't cut it.
Realistically, next year is Davidson's last chance as there are a lot of up-coming guys who appear to be more attractive propositions (whereas rightly or wrongly,Anthony is seen as getting on a bit, being a year older than Button and hasn't really raced competitively since F3 in 2001).
Damn shame if you ask me, and it was a sad day when Honda gave Barichello a seat in preference to AD.
Obviously someone who knows nothing about F1 & cant tell a winning drive when he sees one!!
So what are your qualifications? why is your opinion worth more than mine? or are you just one of those people who thinks anyone who dos'nt agree with you is wrong?
Obviously someone who knows nothing about F1 & cant tell a winning drive when he sees one!!
So what are your qualifications? why is your opinion worth more than mine? or are you just one of those people who thinks anyone who dos'nt agree with you is wrong?
Typical of PistonHeads comments - you make a 'witty' comment, which no one laughs at, because its simply just a cheap jibe not based on the facts of Buttons win on Sunday, then you get all 'punchy' and agressive in your follow up when its called correctly.
Take it back to the school play ground mate.
Obviously someone who knows nothing about F1 & cant tell a winning drive when he sees one!!
So what are your qualifications? why is your opinion worth more than mine? or are you just one of those people who thinks anyone who dos'nt agree with you is wrong?
Typical of PistonHeads comments - you make a 'witty' comment, which no one laughs at, because its simply just a cheap jibe not based on the facts of Buttons win on Sunday, then you get all 'punchy' and agressive in your follow up when its called correctly.
Take it back to the school play ground mate.
That's 2 Button fans who can't take a smiley then.
Well said! Not wishing to dwell on this because there is a whole thread elsewhere, but the point a number of cynics are missing is that these guys didn't just "drop out" because they fancied a G&T in the bar. Alonso excepted, they crashed out trying to keep on the pace, which was set by JB. The "rainmeister" of old suffered front end damage twice - can anyone really say he was a"top" driver on the day? The best driver on the day was clearly the guy who drove fastest in the difficult conditions AND managed to keep his car on the black stuff and out of others sidepods, and that, after all, is what racing is all about. (And no, I'm not referring to Massa, who after driving like a novice, did indeed set the fastest lap once things had dried out and JB was so far ahead he'd turned down the revs.)
Realistically, next year is Davidson's last chance as there are a lot of up-coming guys who appear to be more attractive propositions (whereas rightly or wrongly,Anthony is seen as getting on a bit, being a year older than Button and hasn't really raced competitively since F3 in 2001).
Damn shame if you ask me, and it was a sad day when Honda gave Barichello a seat in preference to AD.
I think he may have a shot with the new Prodrive team - Dave Richards will know what he is capable of and he will be a good option for him in their first year. It all comes down to what Honda will let him do though.
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It is unlikely that Honda would, or even could, stop him if he was offered a full race drive with another team. Remember, the Williams debacle was in the aftermath of Frank Williams trying to buy JB out from under Honda when he had a contract in place, and relationships between the teams was strained. Honda's respone to Williams when they asked if AD could test was "sod you!" There was no need for Honda to bundle anything in the deal, the law was on their side.
Obviously I don't know what's in ADs contract, but I believe smart third drivers generally have a get-out clause where a race drive is offered elsewhere. Unfortunately, there has been little interest shown in AD from other teams recently, with so many younger guys fighting for places.
You've got a point on Prodrive however. They are likely to want some experience to help them to develop their car.
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