Could this Royal Docks development kickstart the London Grand Prix?

Plans have been revealed for a redevelopment of the Royal Docks that would be built around a 5.87km racetrack designed to host the London Grand Prix. Say what?

Yup, the London Grand Prix is an idea that’s been floated several times over the years but never quite got off the ground. F1 Live brought smoke ‘n’ donuts to the capital back in 2017, but that’s the closest we’ve got.

Now though the LDN Collective and Dar are proposing to make an FIA-grade circuit the centrepiece of a new ‘globally recognised waterfront destination for sports, leisure and entertainment’ stretching 2.7km from the ExCel to the University of East London.

The width of the land would be tripled and floating modules on the water’s edge would accommodate community spaces, hotels, restaurants and the like.

These would be in place for 50 weeks of the year, and converted into grandstands to host up to 95,000 fans when F1 came to town.

You can make out the rough layout of the circuit from the image below, but in total there’d be 22 corners and an approximate average speed of 127mph, meaning a lap time in the region of 1:42.1. Which sounds very precise for an educated guess.

The groups behind the plans say that the track would be similar in feel to the one in Montreal that hosts the Canadian Grand Prix, and would ‘complement’ the British Grand Prix at Silverstone rather than replace it. Because imagine the uproar.

“We know that Formula 1 are interested in hosting a Grand Prix here and we have designed a track that meets all of their requirements and regulations,” said Max Farrell, CEO of the LDN Collective. “We have discussed the proposals with the GLA [Greater London Authority], who are developing a water strategy and planning framework with Newham Council, which we hope to align with. With or without F1, these proposals are transformational and would be a huge boost to London and the UK globally.”

What do we reckon folks? If the Mall really can’t be used as the calendar’s most iconic start-finish straight, is this the next best thing?