Ecclestone threatens to sue Stewart

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who is set to remove the British GP at Silverstone from the 2005 F1 calendar after talks with the BRDC broke down over financial terms and contract length, is to sue Jackie Stewart for libel over comments made in a BBC radio interview on Wednesday. Ecclestone's lawyers said in a statement issued on Thursday that the libel proceedings related in particular to Stewart suggesting that Ecclestone had "reneged on alleged promises given to the (UK) Minister of Sport" which might have saved the race. "Mr. Ecclestone, who has made it clear that he has tried hard to keep the British Grand Prix, and has explained his frustration at why this seems to be impossible in light of failed negotiations with the BRDC, is not suing the BBC, rather just its interviewee," lawyer Simon Smith said. The BRDC was due to hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss its next move in its efforts to have Britain, which staged the first Grand Prix in 1950, reinstated on the calendar. Eurosport