Opposition to London Stadium race begins

Although most Formula 1 fans are sure to be excited that a bid for hosting a Grand Prix in and around the London Olympic Stadium has been formally accepted, not everybody is cheering. Since the tender was officially acknowledged by officials, the idea has come under fire from a number of campaigners based around the Stratford area of the city.

Two London Grand Prix ideas have circulated in recent months; one is the proposal for a private firm to rent out the Olympic Stadium, once the games have finished, whereas the other was an idea heavily promoted by Santander to race around the more famous streets of the city centre.

Although Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of the F1 Group, has already offered to fund a race, critics argue that logistics would be too much of a problem. On top of the disapproval already received by some, environmental campaigners are now attacking the idea as well.

“Our life is full of irony, isn't it?" campaigner Jonathan Porritt, whose father was a bronze medallist for New Zealand in the 1924 Paris Olympics, is quoted as saying by Reuters.

“I find the whole story about F1 racing and sustainability quite difficult. F1 racing is a celebration of crazy, unsustainable use of cars in many ways and I would much rather that we would see more use of the park for cycling and all of those kind of things."

Of the four proposals submitted to take over the stadium, that of West Ham United football club is most hotly tipped to collect the greatest number of bids.