Towards a Return of F1 in Mexico and South Africa?
Bernie Ecclestone, the head of FOM that holds commercial rights and notably chooses the races present on the calendar, hinted that new races could be added in the coming years, particularly in South Africa and Mexico.
Bernie Ecclestone was one of the key figures in bringing Formula 1 to China, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, South Korea, and India. But he doesn’t intend to stop there. Indeed, with the holding of a Grand Prix in Russia in 2014 and after reviving the United States Grand Prix, he might do the same with two other “disappeared” Grand Prix, the Mexican Grand Prix and the South African Grand Prix.
«After Russia, I would like (F1) to go to South Africa and Mexico. These two countries are trying to set something up in this direction», Bernie Ecclestone told the newspaper The Independent.
The last Formula 1 race held in South Africa was in 1993, it took place on the Kyalami circuit and was won by Alain Prost ahead of Ayrton Senna and Mark Blundell. Mexico, meanwhile, last saw Formula 1 a year earlier, in 1992. The race was held at the time on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, located in the heart of Mexico City.
The hosting of a Formula 1 Grand Prix in Mexico could be very interesting for the FOM, as with a Mexican driver in F1 in the person of Sergio Perez, it could attract large crowds. However, for the moment, the two projects are still in their infancy and given the number of Grand Prix per season (20 for 2012), it seems quite unlikely for these two countries to be included before a few years.
But Bernie Ecclestone remains on the lookout for all opportunities, as he also told the British newspaper that Greece was trying to organize a Formula 1 Grand Prix, even if it seems unthinkable given the financial difficulties it is currently facing.
