BRDC AND SILVERSTONE BACK 'BRITS' FOR F1 TITLE

The British Racing Drivers’ Club and Silverstone are backing locally based F1 team Red Bull Racing to win another Formula 1™ title this weekend, its second of the 2012 season. The Milton Keynes based outfit secured the Constructors’ Formula One World Championship in Austin, Texas, last weekend and now the team’s double World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, goes head-to-head with Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso in a bid to win the Drivers’ title in Sao Paulo, Brazil. By doing so, Sebastian will become the youngest ever driver to win three consecutive Formula 1™ titles. Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio are the only other drivers to have won three back-to-back World Championships.

Both BRDC President Derek Warwick and Silverstone Managing Director Richard Phillips have voiced their support for Red Bull Racing ahead of this weekend’s season finale, highlighting the far-reaching benefits of the Milton Keynes team’s success.

Derek, who has raced in 147 Grands Prix, said, “While the Austrian national anthem plays out when Red Bull win, we tend to think of them as one of our own. In Team Principal Christian Horner and Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey they have two of the finest minds in British and world motorsport at the helm; while the car is based, designed and engineered out of Milton Keynes, so we’re backing them and Sebastian to win another title this weekend.

“Red Bull Racing is one of the most influential and inspirational teams in world motorsport. Their success acts as a catalyst, filtering down to the 4,500 SMEs (small and medium enterprises) estimated to be involved in motorsport, high performance engineering (HPE) and supporting services in ‘Motorsport Valley’, the cluster of UK motorsport firms located in and around Northamptonshire. These SMEs support approximately 38,000 full time jobs, including 25,000 engineers, and account for annual sales in excess of £6 billion, so the success of British based teams like Red Bull is vital if the UK is to retain its position as a world leader in high performance engineering.

“The fact that Christian, Adrian and Mark Webber are all full BRDC Members, and Seb is an Honorary BRDC Member, also makes us slightly biased towards Red Bull Racing this weekend. Whatever happens, it’s been a fantastic season and a wonderful advert for our sport. I’m already looking forward to next year when we could see up to four British drivers lining up on the grid.”

Richard Phillips added: “Red Bull Racing have been hugely supportive of Silverstone over the past few years, including running cars for us at both the launch of the new Grand Prix Circuit in 2010 and the opening of the Silverstone Wing last year. They were involved with the grand finale on that occasion too, when Mark Webber drove the F1 car into the building. Christian Horner and key team personnel have also supported events at the circuit, so we enjoy a fantastic relationship with the team and will obviously be reciprocating that support this weekend.

“British success also helps take F1 and motorsport to a wider audience. Having British teams and drivers winning races and championships fuels interest and, in turn, boosts both viewing and attendance figures. We often see a surge in British Grand Prix ticket sales, particularly when Lewis and Jenson do well. Next year we could see four British drivers on the Silverstone grid, driving for four different British based teams, so 2013 looks set to be another fantastic season.

“On a local level, it’s fantastic to have a successful team like Red Bull on our doorstep. In September 2013 up to 576 students will be based at the Silverstone University Technical College (UTC), which will offer high quality skills training to 14 – 19 year olds in high performance engineering and technical events management. Who better to help inspire the next generation of drivers, technicians and engineers than local organisations involved at the highest level of motorsport?”