“We've made it clear we will not have a night race,” asserted Victoria's Major Events and Tourism Minister Tim Holding, insisting the grand prix would remain in Melbourne as long as it continues to represent value for money and showcase the city to the world at-large, whilst adding that the government would not be held to ransom. “Mr Ecclestone has made it clear he accepts that decision and, in fact, supports it. Any claim that the government does not support this event is plainly wrong.
“We said we didn't feel a night race was something that would work in Melbourne and Mr Ecclestone at the time said he agreed with that assessment, and then went off to explore night-racing options with other cities. We don't want to lose it but we don't want to pay any price for it either. It's a matter of striking a balance and striking the right balance.”
Opposition leader Ted Baillieu, meanwhile, argued the grand prix was crucial to the city's sporting calendar, and insisted the Brumby Government should pull out all the stops in order to retain it.
“His [Brumby's] inaction runs the risk of Melbourne becoming a major events backwater,” Baillieu said
There has been an Australian Grand Prix on the
F1 calendar every year since 1985, with the event switching from Adelaide to Melbourne in 1996. Ecclestone has recently made noises about the sport branching out to countries such as Russia, India or South Korea, all of which are keen to stage a race and which he believes would attract more money, greater sponsorship and better television audiences. Russian President Vladimir Putin is believed to already be lobbying Ecclestone for a grand prix to be staged in St Petersburg.
