F1: London Street Race Steps Up a Gear

Hot on the rear wing of the New York street race's big 'n' shouty promotional event earlier in the month, London threw a slightly more sophisticated party last night. Here we have our first serious look at how a race in Her Majesty's back yard might look.

we've heard the chat about a race on the streets of London for a few years now and it turns out the only real stumbling block was money. Enter Bernie Ecclestone. Whilst this is clearly a Santander sponsored event (you have to sell your soul to the advertising devil just to watch this branding heavy promo film), His Royal Bernie is stumping up some serious moolah to make this race a reality. The figure is purportedly £30 million to cover grandstands and road closures, as well as waiving the £25 million licensing fee. Just so long as the race is at night, apparently.

Assuming floppy haired fool of a mayor, Boris Johnson, doesn't find a reason to get in the way now that finance isn't an issue, what sights will the drivers take in? The start/finish line and paddock area starts on The Mall with a short burst down to a sharp right towards St James', the Ritz and on to Hyde Park Corner. A particular highlight comes as the pack screams past Her Maj at Buckingham Palace, as she no doubt replaces her famous wave for a celebratory 'fist pump' as Hamilton darts down the Birdcage and on to Parliament Square. Next its down to Victoria Embankment straddling the Thames and into an open left at Waterloo Bridge. Here comes probably the only sticking point, as the track narrows between Admiralty Arch before opening again onto the straight to finish the lap. Expect carnage. Santander even provided a lovely on board CGI lap (by Santander) if you can't quite take it all in. Santander.

So it seems all the right people are making all the right noises, now we just play the waiting game. The thought of 20 highly tuned modern Formula 1 cars weaving through the historic streets of central London is a thrilling one to say the least. Bernie, make it happen!