No Blackout In Britain.

ITV will be able to show uninterrupted coverage of the British Grand Prix next weekend, despite the ongoing row with Bernie Ecclestone over television rights.


The company was not able to show qualifying from last Sunday's French Grand Prix but, as host broadcaster for the Silverstone event, will be able to resume its normal schedule next weekend. A spokeswoman for ITV said that there was 'absolutely no chance' of either the race or qualifying not being shown, and that the company regretted that it was unable to show the practice session from Magny-Cours.


The situation after Silverstone remains unclear, however. ITV and Ecclestone have been locked in dispute for almost all of the broadcaster's time in Formula One, after it failed to ensure that provision for showing live coverage of qualifying was included in its ?70million contract.


ITV initially had no plans to show the session live, and is therefore technically restricted to using pre-recorded footage from other sources. It has apparently only been able to show the sessions as they happened until now because of Ecclestone's benevolence. The same generosity has also applied to the use of pit-lane cameras and reporters, and access to on-board footage.


"I told ITV at the beginning of the year - as I did last year - that this must be sorted out," explained Ecclestone, "but they have dragged their feet for two years. I have now handed it over to my lawyers, and they are tightening up."