I'm hopeful - I won't say expectant - that the British Grand Prix will be marked down as a provisional race when the FIA publishes the schedule for 2005 this week.
That would give some breathing space to the British Racing Drivers Club, who own Silverstone.
It's very complicated at the moment because negotiations are quite delicate, but negotiations have been ongoing between Ray Belm, the chairman of the BRDC, and Jackie Stewart, who is the president.
As you know in the UK there is a big outcry - 'Don't axe our Grand Prix! Please save our Grand Prix!'
There are lots of campaigns going on. It's a race with enormous heritage; it's a track that the drivers love; there's a great feeling from teams and drivers alike, that they don't want to axe the traditional races and circuits, because the Spas and the Monzas and the Silverstones of this world have produced fantastic races.
But the fact of the matter is that an offer has been made by Bernie Ecclestone back to the BRDC, with a seven-year deal.
The BRDC don't want a seven-year deal because in 2007 it's the end of the Concord Agreement, and there could be a new owner or overseer of Formula One by then, it could even be a reconstituted championship.
No-one knows what is going to happen; you don't want to be tied to one party for longer than you need to be.
The most significant thing is that the offer from Formula One management includes a lot of yearly compound interest of 10% each year, which over a seven-year deal puts it outside the bounds of the BRDC in terms of the funding they have got.
They are a non-profit-making organisation; they are small, it's a bunch of people (including myself, I'm on the board) who are racing people, ex-racing people, current racing people, management, drivers; racing is in their blood.
The BRDC have been described as 'gentlemen, not businessmen' and Bernie Ecclestone has been quite derisory about the group.
They are simply dedicated to the good of motor racing and motor sport in the United Kingdom.
The Grand Prix and Silverstone are a shop window to a huge industry, which keeps us at the forefront there are lots of jobs, there are billions of pounds of exports that they win for the UK.
It's obviously a very sensitive issue, and it's worth fighting for.
Bernie is purely thinking about business, he is purely thinking from the money side of it: what do other races pay? what is the going rate?
You can't go back to him and say we need to think about this in any form of emotion, because you're British, you drove in the first British Grand Prix.
There are a lot of other possibilities which the BRDC have been trying to weigh up, and Bernie's been looking at other possibilities like this Brand Synergy group which has Nigel Mansell as its spokesman.
Unfortunately at the moment they have unproven financial backing and the deadline is Wednesday.
The BRDC have long-term plans, and long-term commitment, all of which Bernie has seen and all of which Bernie really really likes.
The answer is just to keep negotiating right until the 11th hour.
Tony Jardine was talking to Andy Schooler.
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