Question: How secure is the British Grand Prix's future?

Sir Jackie Stewart: We have been threatened on a variety of occasions by the governing body and the commercial rights holder regarding the future of the British Grand Prix. It's still precarious. We're still waiting for government aid to assist us.

We have approached government and we've managed to get £16 million to assist sport and industry and we're very proud that we've been able to get that. We are still waiting to hear from the government with regards to holding onto the grand prix long-term.

Question: What are the implications if it is lost?

Sir Jackie Stewart: Well, it's a very major goal because without the British Grand Prix I think our industry or motor sport cluster - which is very successful - will go in six or eight years.

We're waiting to hear from the government. We're very happy to work with the government through the Department for Trade and Industry, with Patricia Hewitt and the East Midlands Development Agency that represents other parts of the government.

We're able to work with FOM and IPG - that's the parent company of Brands Hatch Circuits Ltd, the leaseholders of Silverstone - and of course the BRDC.

We're looking towards a solution to all of this because Britain has a tough time ahead of it because it's not a level playing field against all the other Grand Prix we compete against.

They get very large amounts of money assisting them to keep their grand prix in their country which we, of course, do not get any assistance for.

There's no money flowing back into the sport; the commercial rights holder takes most of the money out of the sport and it doesn't come back in. That's our biggest challenge right now.

Question: Ministers say that at the moment this is a "private family row" between the various other parties and Bernie Ecclestone. What's your reaction?

Sir Jackie Stewart: I don't think it's a family row. There's nothing left for, say, the promoters or organisers of the Grand Prix or even the track owners.

You would get that answer from Malaysia, you would get it from France or Germany or Spain or Hungary or any of the other Grand Prix.

They developed their racetracks through the aid of governments who wished to have for what ever reasons - tourism, industrial or technology reasons - to have a Grand Prix in their nation.

Question: How highly do you rate your chances?

Sir Jackie Stewart: We're very hopeful because government has said they want to retain the British Grand Prix, the minister for sport stated very recently and it was very widely reported that government are going to support the British Grand Prix and its retention.

Now, clearly it won't be all government money. It has to be worked out between, let's say the government representatives and - I hope - it will be FOM, the BRDC and IPG. But it has to be worked out by all concerned. It can't be all take and no give.

Question: So you're calling on the government to back up their sentiments with action?

Sir Jackie Stewart: Well, yes. I think that goes without saying because if that was not happening anywhere else in the world you would say that were asking for something quite unusual. That is not the case.

This is happening everywhere in the world whether it's in Australia or in European countries or the new racetracks that are being built today in Bahrain or China.

Question: Why do you think the British government is so reluctant to fight for the event?

Sir Jackie Stewart: They haven't historically been involved and maybe they've never been asked correctly for it before because they have given large amounts of money to cricket - £54 million I think - they've give money to football and they've even given money to bowls - £27 million I think.

They've given money to equestrian events, even to the sport I love - trap shooting. I think it's recognised that they are sitting out on a limb here and have not done it.

But they know they have to have a national stadium for football and that's why they're investing large sums of money in Wembley.

We wouldn't be looking for enormous sums from government but certainly they're putting in there well over £140 million.

Question: Why should the government be interested in motor racing compared with, say, football or tennis?

Sir Jackie Stewart: There's a couple of things there. First, Formula One is the biggest television sport in the world on an annual basis. Secondly it is an industry that has support in the full sense of the sport itself.

If you talk about football most of the football strips and a lot of the boots and everything else are made in faraway lands like Vietnam or China.

In motor sport the capital of technology is the United Kingdom. It's a £5 billion industry, this little cluster of motor sport that we have.

It represents roughly 40,000 people being employed with about 50 per cent plus going out in export benefits to our nation.

It's very important for our technology base generally.

That doesn't happen in football, that doesn't happen in other sports. I'm not blaming football for that at all.

It just so happens that we have a manufacturing industry that lives by the sport and we have to keep breeding that industry and maintain it in this country. To do that you need major events and the British Grand Prix, surely, is one of them.

Question: The England football team were invited to Downing Street for dinner despite failing to win anything and yet British racing drivers haven't had the same treatment. What do you think of that?

Sir Jackie Stewart: Well, I have been lucky enough to be in Downing Street. In fact the prime minister has had me there on the business of addressing this issue of trying to get government support for motor sport. It was led by the prime minister and given to Patricia Hewitt.

It was told to us that the DTI would be the leaders of this, not sport, and they would find the funds from other parts of government - to have joined-up government if you like, to bring a public and private venture together to have and retain the British Grand Prix in this country.

I think that will eventually happen. We're still waiting for all that to occur and we're still in discussions.

Downing Street does know and government does know how important the sport is but it will not go against the competitors of the world without some participation from government.

Question: Do you think part of the problem is the image of the sport as being the domain of wealthy international playboys that doesn't need government cash?

Sir Jackie Stewart: That's simply not the case. I've even been accused of being a public schoolboy the other day.

I left school at 15 and went to a grammar school.

I worked in a garage as a mechanic and I served my apprentice as a mechanic. The chairman of the BRDC, Martin Brundle, is another grammar school lad.

There are people within the sport who do and have earned a great deal of money. One of those people is Mr Ecclestone who has made an immense fortune out of motor sport and he's been very clever to do so. But there's been so little coming back.

Question: What would you do with the money you want to get from the government?

Sir Jackie Stewart: I know major events, like Wimbledon for example, put back into young tennis colossal amounts of money. As does for example the British Open golf championship, when it's over here.

The BRDC, we do put money in to young drivers. It may not be as much as we'd like to but it's more than £500,000 that comes out of a not-for-profit company. And it's because we think it's important to help young, developing drivers. I think it's something that's got to be addressed seriously and in a proper fashion.

Question: Do you think the Ecclestone-Labour donation row put the government off the motor racing industry?

Sir Jackie Stewart: I think it has had a part to play there is no doubt. I went to see over 60 MPs in the build up to trying to get money for sport and the industry and there was not one part of government where that subject didn't come up.

But that happened many years ago and that should be forgotten. We have 19 racetracks licensed in this country. Not one of them is affluent or very well off. They are all struggling to survive. It is not a rich sport.

Technologically it's the leader of the world and you've got to get big money in there to spend on your technology in order to achieve, such as McLaren do, Williams do or Jaguar do.

Question: What's the extent of Britain's involvement in the sport?

Sir Jackie Stewart: Well, for example, Renault is based in this country. The Mercedes grand prix engine is built in Northampton.

The Cosworth that drives the Jaguar and the Ford Cosworth that drives the Jordan are all built in this country.

We have an immense reputation in the world and we must keep it.

We can't not keep without the grand prix being held here and a facility we can be proud of.

Question: You're a former F1 team owner. Does the tobacco ad ban have implications for the industry and the British GP?

Sir Jackie Stewart: I don't think the tobacco issue is important at all, in fact.

We have of course spent a great deal of money in motor sport in fact but if that money is not going to be there but there are other consumer products out there and other ways of getting money.

It's just that they were very rich indeed. When the tobacco money stops, you cut your cloth according to your pocket.

Question: Government ministers are going to be at Silverstone this weekend. They are going to meet the sports leaders and the media. What would you like them to say?

Sir Jackie Stewart: I think Richard Caborn is going to be there and presenting awards at the Grand Prix. I know Patricia will be there and I think it would be very good for them to confirm that the government are going to assist the British Grand Prix in this country.

I'm sure Richard Caborn will repeat already what he's said which is that clearly it's important for Britain.

And Patricia knows that because Patricia Hewitt is a very skilled person indeed.

I think she fully understands the downside risk of us losing the British Grand Prix. It's something we mustn't do.