McAlpine in £100m race to complete Donington F1 track

Sir Robert McAlpine is facing a race against time to finish a £100m revamp of Donington Park in time for next year's British Grand Prix in July.

McAlpine is due to be officially confirmed this week as main contractor on ambitious plans to modernise the circuit before it takes over from Silverstone as the home of Formula One in the UK.

The contractor will face a tight timetable following delays in raising funding for the project.

The circuit will now shut down this month to allow work to start on track alteration while construction starts on a new pit complex and clubhouse.

A McAlpine spokeswoman said a site office was due to be set-up "imminently" ahead of the main construction phase.

Preparatory groundworks have taken place for the last few months using local civil engineering specialists and a fleet of plant from local hirer Ruttle.

Final planning permission for the scheme was agreed in June and Donnington Park chiefs appointed former Multiplex chief executive Jayne McGivern last month to speed up the construction process.

McGivern's Red Grouse Properties group will oversee work as McAlpine battles to meet the July deadline.

A Donington Park statement said: "Jayne is a highly respected businesswoman who is credited with turning around the Wembley project and was heavily involved in the purchasing of the Millennium Dome from the government to convert it into the O2 Arena.

"Jayne will ensure that all of the new work on site is completed in a timely manner and to the highest standards."