UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson boosts British GP hopes!

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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has heard Formula 1's appeal for a quarantine exemption and has reportedly urged his minsters to relax the measures to allow the British Grand Prix to take place this summer.

F1 and Silverstone's plans to run a double-header event in late July and early August were undermined by the UK's decision to implement from June 7 a 14-day quarantine on all travelers and visitors entering the country.

The decision implied the impossibility for F1 teams and staff returning from Austria, where F1 is expecting to hold its first event of the 2020 season, to prepare for Silverstone.

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But according to a report published by The Times on Monday, PM Johnson has become personally involved in the matter and supports Silverstone's plans to stage two successive events.

Johnson has allegedly asked culture secretary Oliver Dowden to work with health secretary Matt Hancock and home secretary Priti Patel to make the Silverstone double-header happen.

If the government is unsuccessful in awarding an exemption to F1, the British Grand Prix could still take place this year, albeit at a later date, when quarantine measures are hopefully eased.

"I’ve got flexibility in the calendar and of course we’ve got our original dates we’ve been holding and talking around in mid-late July," Silverstone boss Stuart Pringle told Sky F1.

“But we’ve got a degree of flexibility through August as well. So I don’t think that finding a date for Formula 1 is going to be a problem, or indeed two dates.

"What we need is the green light from government and that will take time."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.