The Foreign Office was not changing its travel safety level last night, but it
did advise against travel to areas where protests might occur.
Since the protests are scheduled to take place in the vicinity of the Formula
One circuit today, that amounts to advice not to attend the race.
FIA president Jean Todt insisted that it had been the right decision to push
ahead with the race. “I would be very annoyed if it was a majority of people
[who are against the race],” he said.
“But, at the most, it would be 10 per cent of the people who would be anti. So
do we have to penalise 80 or 90 per cent of the population because 10 per
cent are against?
“Unfortunately there is much more media attention, again rightly or wrongly,
it is not for me to judge, on emphasising this minority.”
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel edged McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton in a tight
qualifying session yesterday notable for a row over the fact that Force
India’s cars were not shown on television.
The Silverstone-based team had pulled out of free practice on Friday
afternoon, apparently upsetting F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone. F1
control the television streaming.