Former F1 team boss sees key role for Middle East

The Middle East will play a pivotal role in the future of the motor sport industry, former F1 team boss David Richards told a business forum in Bahrain this week.

Richards, chairman of Prodrive and the sportscar maker Aston Martin as well as being a former principal of the Benetton and BAR F1 teams, was giving a keynote address before Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.

"From next year, this region will have six world class racing circuits," forum organisers quoted him as saying. "It shows that the Gulf has become a significant focal point for the motor sport industry.

"The business model of a stand-alone circuit is gone forever," added Richards, who fronted a group that bought luxury carmaker Aston Martin from Ford last year with Kuwait's Investment Dar taking a 50 per cent stake.

"This area of the world is looking at motor sport as a proper sustainable business plan and we should all pay attention."

Bahrain became Formula One's first Middle Eastern circuit in 2004 and Abu Dhabi will host a race next year.

Dubai also has a modern circuit while Qatar plans to upgrade its Losail track, which hosted a night-time MotoGP race in March, to a Formula One standard.

Abu Dhabi has linked its circuit with a Ferrari World amusement park, Bahrain is planning a technology centre at Sakhir and Dubai's Autodrome is part of the Emirate's MotorCity development.

Abu Dhabi's government-owned Mubadala Development Company has a 5 per cent stake in Ferrari.