Melbourne looks set to lose the position it has held on the grand prix calendar since 1996, after
Bernie Ecclestone suggested the sport no longer wanted to visit Australia.
In a significant blow to the race's future, the
F1 supremo angrily declared that both he as well as Formula 1's teams and sponsors wanted to quit Melbourne, in favour of more lucrative races elsewhere in the world that would afford better sponsorship opportunities and television audiences. He also slammed Victoria Premier John Brumby for having given ‘scant support' to the event.
“Maybe we don't want to be in Australia,” the 77-year-old told reporters for Melbourne newspaper the
Herald Sun. “Our costs are very high in Australia and we get a lot less money. It's bloody bad for us.
“We've got quite a few places on the list which would like to have Formula 1, and it seems your guy [Brumby] down there doesn't want
Formula 1. We can make him happy and make the other people happy.”
Ecclestone added that he was under ‘quite a lot' of pressure from other countries to hold races elsewhere, and dismissed speculation that the grand prix could be moved to Queensland, New South Wales or South Australia. He hinted at possible future races in India, Russia or Korea, suggesting Melbourne's current contract had little or no possibility of being renewed beyond its expiry date in 2010, its only slim chance being to follow Singapore's lead in hosting a night race.
“In Melbourne, if we were to continue to be there, we would have to have a night race – the only option,” he added, underlining the fact that conditions would be non-negotiable.
“Why wouldn't we take it somewhere else [within Australia]? Unfortunately, we would have to consider the financial aspect for a start.”
