Button mania hits Silverstone

Jenson Button is not the only one celebrating his first Grand Prix win at Hungary's Hungaroring circuit last weekend. It would appear that the Honda Racing driver's army of 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, Silverstone, in 2007 has caught the Northamptonshire circuit by surprise. Following Button's maiden victory the Silverstone switchboard has been inundated with enquiries about tickets for next year's FORMULA 1 British Grand Prix, and circuit bosses have responded by doubling the number of people manning the phones in its call centre.

Richard Phillips, Managing Director of Silverstone Circuits Limited, commented, "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 FORMULA 1 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 added, "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."

He concluded, "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."

-credit: british GP