Tags
|
The Indian Grand Prix is likely to be dropped from next year’s Formula One calendar as Russia prepares for its debut, commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone has told Reuters. |
“Is India going to happen next year? Probably not,” he said at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Asked what the problem was with the race at Greater Noida, near New Delhi, the 82-year-old British billionaire replied: “Very political.”
Ecclestone, who has run Formula One for decades, draws up the
calendar and usually presents it to the governing International Automobile Federation to be rubber-stamped in September.
He currently has a possible 22 races jostling for space on the calendar with teams expressing a strong preference for a maximum of 20.
Russia, with a debut race pencilled in for the Black Sea resort of Sochi towards the end of next year, and a grand prix in New Jersey are the two novelties planned for 2014 with Austria also due to make a comeback after an 11-year absence.
India first hosted a grand prix in 2011 to positive reviews from the Formula One community and this year’s is scheduled for Oct 27 as the 16th round of the 19-race championship.
The two races to date in India have both been won by Red Bull’s triple world champion Sebastian Vettel.
There have been bureaucratic hurdles to overcome, however, as well as concern about finances and the sport’s exposure to high local taxation.
Promoters Jaypee Sports International, which last month slammed the media speculation about next year’s race as “totally baseless and malicious”, hoped things will be sorted out.
“We have not got anything in writing from the Formula One management regarding the status of the 2014 Indian Grand Prix,” Jaypee spokesman Askari Zaidi said by phone.
“We are keen that Formula One races take place in India at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) till our contract is in operation that is 2015.”
Next year’s Indian Grand Prix was the subject of much discussion in Hungary, with teams recognising it faced problems but hoping they could be resolved.
“It would be a pity if for these (tax) reasons we don’t go there,” Sauber’s Indian-born principal Monisha Kaltenborn told Reuters.
“India is an important market for partners who are already in Formula One or who could get into Formula One because of that market so it really would be a pity if we would not manage to sort out these problems.”
There are no comments.
SPORT Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you are saying farewell to those that have left a positive impression. That was the case earlier this month when Canada hosted Mexico in a friendly at BC Place stadium in Vancouver.
TECHNOLOGY Some 60mn primary-school-age children have no access to formal education
CULTURE Lekhwiya’s El Arabi scores the equaliser after Tresor is sent off; Tabata, al-Harazi score for QSL champions
ARABIA The Yemeni Minister of Tourism, Dr Mohamed Abdul Majid Qubati, yesterday expressed hope that the 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen declared by the Command of Coalition Forces on Saturday will be maintained in order to lift the siege imposed on Taz City and ease the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged
ARABIA Some 200 teachers from schools across the country attended Qatar Museum’s (QM) first ever Teachers Council at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday.
ARABIA The Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC) of Qatar and the Indonesian Supreme Court (SCI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on judicial co-operation, it was announced yesterday.
ECONOMY Sri Lanka is keen on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar as part of government policy to shift to clean energy, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply Rauff Hakeem has said.
