Jean Todt asserts that there will only be 20 races in 2012
Definitely, calendars are at the heart of the FIA's discussions and concerns. While the return of Bahrain to the 2011 calendar is causing a stir in the paddocks, Jean Todt asserts that there will only be 20 races next year, whereas the FIA published a calendar last week with 21 dates!
Thus, in an interview with the Catalan newspaper Diario Sport, the FIA president stated that it was absolutely out of the question for there to be 21 races in 2012, despite what was stated last week: « There are 21 dates but the championship will only include 20 Grand Prix. We don’t know which one will go, but the championship will have 20 races. »
At the sight of this statement, the designated victim seems to be Turkey, whose future has been more than uncertain for many months. Shortly before the 2011 edition, an official seemed resigned to this idea since the rate increase demanded by Bernie Ecclestone is beyond reach for the local organizers even though the Istanbul circuit belongs to him! The presence of the circuit with an asterisk indicating “subject to confirmation” was another sign towards the end of an event inaugurated in 2005 but which has never met its local audience, despite its formidable turn 8.
Nevertheless, other candidates could be subject to removal from the calendar. One can, of course, think of Bahrain due to the current political unrest. However, if the FIA decided to reinstate it as early as 2011, to the point of changing the inaugural date of the Indian Grand Prix and thus the official end of the championship, there is little chance it will decide to forgo the revenues generated by the small Kingdom as soon as next year.
Another possibility, which seems much less likely than the two previous solutions, would be Japan. The Suzuka circuit is located not far from the area devastated by the earthquake and tsunami, as well as the area contaminated by the Fukushima power plant. However, up to now, there has been no indication that the 2011 event is at risk. Under these conditions, its presence seems assured for next year.
While we do not know how many races are left in the current season, we still have plenty of time to figure out what will actually happen for the F1 2012. All of this does not contribute to the image of this sport…
With the participation of RacingBusiness.fr
