The owners of the Brands Hatch track - "Brands Hatch Leisure Plc" - has made a formal bid last week to host the British Grand Prix, as of 2002. The company wants to acquire the Silverstone track and host the race there, or - if they fail to acquire Silverstone - have the GP move to the Brands Hatch circuit, in Kent.

The Silverstone track is owned by the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC). Currently, there are three interested parties who wish to overtake the track, "Brands Hatch Leisure" amongst them. However, the BRDC launched a plan last week to fight off all unwanted bids. Nonetheless, "Brands Hatch Leisure" stand a good chance of overtaking Silverstone as it already signed an exclusive contract with Bernie Ecclestone securing the British Grand Prix at Silverstone until 2009 in the event they acquire it. Concurrently, the BRDC, failed to win the rights to the British race beyond 2001.

"Brands Hatch Leisure" is not resting assured it will in fact manage to acquire the Silverstone track and therefore made the latest bid to host the British GP on its Kent track as of 2002, in the wish that - either way - they will be the ones to land the contract of hosting the F1 race from 2002 onward.

The Brands Hatch circuit hosted 14 F1 races in the past - from 1964 to 1986, intermittently.