We’ve arguably had some clues to the importance of Britain in the motorsport world this week.

Most emphatic was A1GP boss Tony Teixeira. The Team GBR franchise went into administration earlier this year, and Teixeira has kept the team afloat since then. He told autosport.com in no uncertain terms:

“As long as we have A1GP, Team GBR will run.”

So clearly he thinks that – at least for A1GP – Britain is pretty bloody important.

We may find out the World Rally Championship’s opinion on the matter in due course.

Under the rotation system adopted from this season, Wales Rally GB doesn’t appear on the provisional 2010 WRC calendar published some time ago. Well, the Welsh Assembly Government – which pumps a lot of money into the rally – has just noticed, and isn’t keen on supporting the 2010 event.

You can understand why: Wales Rally GB would get considerably less exposure if it ran as a non-WRC event – even if it was on the IRC calendar, for example. It would therefore represent worse value for money, so the Welsh Assembly Government is probably right to rethink its investment.

However! International Motor Sports (organiser of Wales Rally GB) is under the impression from International Sportsworld Communicators (global promotor of the WRC) that the event could yet be on the 2010 WRC calendar, which will be finalised by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council later this year.

The ridiculous thing is that all this is even threatening the 2009 running of Wales Rally GB – which is very much on the WRC calendar.

So ultimately it could be down to the FIA to decide whether Britain is special enough to be on the WRC calendar every year, knowing that the alternative might be no Rally GB every other year when it’s due to be part of the WRC calendar.

We do at least know from Formula 1 that the FIA has a soft spot for Britain, having stated that it could step in to safeguard the future of the British Grand Prix should there be problems with Donington Park’s preparations for 2010.

Indeed the FIA is due to inspect plans right about now. Circuit boss Simon Gillett is confident as always that all is super, smashing and indeed great.

Maybe it is for Formula 1 in 2010, but the British F3 meeting at Donington Park later this month has been postponed, and other events cancelled. This is all down to the work going on to upgrade the facility to Formula 1 standards, which has severely reduced run-off areas, leading to problems obtaining the licenses needed to hold races.

Still, we can always rely on the patriotism of Bernie Ecclestone. Should Donington Park not be ready, he is characteristically unwilling to even consider the possibility of the race staying at Silverstone. Or at least, that’s what he’s saying now.