Highlights

F1 calendar still too European, says Mosley

(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-11-17 11:31

Formula One teams may have to accept a 20 race calendar if more European grands prix are not to be axed in future, according to FIA president Max Mosley.

"There are still a disproportionate number of races in Europe," the head of the sport's governing body said at a meeting with newspaper reporters and BMW's Burkhard Goeschel in Munich.

A full question and answer transcript from the meeting on Tuesday was posted on the FIA Web site on Thursday.

"If you look at the Olympic Games, for instance, over the last 100 years around 50 percent of them have been in Europe and that is a little bit out of balance and we are even worse," declared Mosley.

"But we will get to the right balance between European and non-European races as markets develop," Mosley added. "Places like India, China, Russia, South America, Central America, they are all very important markets."

Formula One has dropped two European races, at the Nuerburgring and Imola, from a 2007 calendar that stands at 17 grands prix after 18 this year and a record 19 in 2005.

Nine of them, including the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul, are in Europe.

"We would like to see another race in North America and probably not lose that many in Europe," said Mosley. "The ultimate sacrifice may have to be made by the teams having 20 races. That is to be discussed."

Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone is planning to add a South Korean race from 2010 with India also hoping to reach a deal for the same year and other countries also knocking on the door.

To accomodate them he must either axe some of the European races, at circuits with fading facilities, or expand the calendar.

Ecclestone suggested recently that the British and French grands prix, two of the historic races that are safeguarded in the current 'Concorde Agreement' governing the sport, could alternate from next year.

The British side rejected the idea.

Goeschel, hosting a meeting that highlighted a new-found harmony between the governing body and the car companies to end a long power struggle, said Europe and the United States were key regions however.

"There might be very fast growth in China, but more or less these are mass production cars. But in India the growth is a lot slower than China," he said.

"The United States is still the most important market in the world. It is an area where F1 still has some weaknesses. There might be an interest from the car manufacturers to improve the situation in the United States."