The MotoGP British Grand Prix has been held at Silverstone since the redesigned track was completed in 2010 and replaced Donington Park – which hosted MotoGP from 1987 to 2009, previously being hosted by Silverstone from 1977 to 1986.
Silverstone’s current contract with Dorna to host MotoGP expires later this year (after the 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19).
However, a new deal is about to be finalized after the 2022 British GP for May 5-7. August this weekend was confirmed.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Pringle says there is no need to finalize a deal with Dorna as the contract term negotiations are ongoing – but he’s confident Silverstone will host MotoGP by 2026.
“We hope it’s a five-year deal, but it’s not yet the case,” said Pringle.
“There’s still a little discussion about that. There is a chance it could take three years.
“This [year] is the last round of the current contract and this is a new contract [beginning in 2022] which is actually not yet signed.
“But obviously both parties have enough self-confidence to announce the dates [for 2022].
“So it’s about dotting the i and the t. That is one of the unresolved issues, but I think it is very likely that it is a five-year contract. “
Pringle confirmed that Silverstone’s viewership increased 23% this year compared to the 2019 race, but believes this is largely related to the COVID pandemic and people’s desire to attend live events.
He also believes this will be Valentino Rossi’s final season to drive demand and admits he is “nervous” about the impact of his resignation on ticket sales in 2022.
However, Pringle hopes that the lack of live events during the pandemic will make people cherish in the future and that a trip to the British GP will become the norm for many fans.
“That is of course our hope and it is up to us to make sure that everyone who comes here has a great experience,” he said when asked if Silverstone could use Rossi’s last race in the UK to promote MotoGP Selling the whole thing to the fans.
“I can tell you that things have been going very well so far, by that I mean that they all got in very well, the traffic flowed smoothly this morning, the queues at the gates were very manageable, people didn’t wait longer than five minutes to get on – and that includes queries, scanning tickets and everything.
“People wear t-shirts and it’s dry and that makes a big difference to the people who come back next year because they know they won’t get wet.
“I hope you have a good time and I hope that the hiatus forced by COVID may bring us to appreciate live sports more and support it more regularly.”
The British GP is the second sold-out event Silverstone is hosting this summer after the Formula 1 British GP.
He noted that “the management of COVID at Silverstone for Formula 1 has been extremely successful,” with only 600 positive cases recorded out of 350,000 people.
The F1 event was run as part of a UK government research program into live events, but COVID restrictions have since changed to become a more “normal event” for MotoGP.