Aussie Grand Prix chief plays down Ecclestone no-show
Organisers of this week’s Australian Grand Prix yesterday played down Bernie Ecclestone’s decision to skip the race in Melbourne and instead travel to New York for talks with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The Formula One supremo, who recently warned that...
Organisers of this week’s Australian Grand Prix yesterday played down Bernie Ecclestone’s decision to skip the race in Melbourne and instead travel to New York for talks with Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The Formula One supremo, who recently warned that the sport did not need Australia, is meeting Bloomberg about the possibility of an event on Staten Island, Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Ron Walker said.
But he stressed that nothing should be read into his absence from Melbourne.
“That doesn’t mean to say that he’s lost interest... it’s about business in New York,” Walker told reporters.
“Mayor Bloomberg’s pretty keen to get a race at Staten Island.”
Last year’s Melbourne race posted its biggest loss in five years, costing taxpayers nearly US$50 million, which prompted Melbourne Mayor Robert Doyle to call for the event to be scrapped.
In response, Ecclestone said: “If we have some new races, some others will fall out – we don’t need Australia, for instance.”
The Victorian state government has asked organisers to cut costs at this year’s Grand Prix, which kicks off the season after the Bahrain race was called off due to civil unrest.
The Australian GP is funded by the Victorian state government and has consistently lost money since Melbourne replaced Adelaide as Australia’s Formula One venue in 1996.
F1 calendar of races this season
March 27, Australian Grand Prix
Albert Park, Melbourne
April 10, Malaysian Grand Prix
Sepang
April 17, Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai
May 8, Turkish Grand Prix
Istanbul
May 22, Spanish Grand Prix
Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
May 29, Monte Carlo Grand Prix
June 12, Canadian Grand Prix
Montreal
June 26, European Grand Prix
Valencia, Spain
July 10, British Grand Prix
Silverstone
July 24, German Grand Prix
Nurburgring
July 31, Hungarian Grand Prix
Budapest
August 28, Belgian Grand Prix
Spa-Francorchamps
September 11, Italian Grand Prix
Monza
September 25, Singapore Grand Prix
Singapore
October 9, Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka
October 16, South Korean Grand Prix
Yeongam
October 30, Indian Grand Prix
New Delhi
November 13, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Yas Marina
November 27, Brazilian Grand Prix
Interlagos
Note: The FIA are considering rescheduling the Bahrain Grand Prix, cancelled due to political unrest in Manama, in November.