Edward Gorman expressed cautious optimism at the chances of a deal being struck on the future of the British Grand Prix during a live webchat followed by thousands of Times readers today.

The Times Motor Racing Correspondent fielded dozens of questions in the wake of Jenson Button's world championship victory, and tackled key issues such as the key contenders for next year's world championship, the uncertain financial future for Formula One and whether Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will work harmoniously at Ferrari.

The future of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone was a hot topic and Gorman said he believed it was in the FIA's interests to make a deal happen.

"If the British GP did not appear on the calendar, it would be a disaster as far I am concerned and a massive own goal by Bernie [Ecclestone]. Talk about biting the hands that feed ... Fleet St will go nuts. I'd love to get Donald McKenzie to go on the record and say he would be happy to see it go: I can't believe he could think that would be the right way forward."

Gorman turned his attention to next season when he was asked which constructor would produce a car to challenge the dominance of Brawn GP.

"McLaren will be strong and probably Ferrari too (though the jury is a bit further out on Stefano's reign than it is on Martin's). Red Bull should be good and Brawn are confident their new car has not suffered from the attention they have given to this year's championship," he said. "You never know though, do you? The change in fuel regs is going to have a very big impact on the balance of the cars and there is plenty of scope for even the big teams to screw this up."

Gorman went on to discuss which drivers might contest next year's title but said he feared Button's triumph was unlikely to be repeated next year.

"There might be a third consecutive British title on the way next year but it might not be Jenson," he said. "Lewis Hamilton is maturing all the time and learning to drive boringly on occasion. This year has been important in his development so I reckon he will do fine against multiple challengers next season."

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