Ecclestone issues an ultimatum to the Australian GP

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has warned the organizers of the Australian Grand Prix that they will need to make the event a night race if they hope to remain on the Formula 1 calendar in the long term.

Although the Grand Prix has a contract until 2010, Ecclestone specified that he has no interest in extending the contract beyond that date if the event continues in its current form.

« For Melbourne, if we are to continue being present, we will have to make it a night race, » he said in the columns of the Australian newspaper the Sunday Telegraph.

« That would be the only solution, » added Ecclestone.

Even though Ecclestone is a close friend of the Australian Grand Prix promoter Ron Walker, he has not stopped telling him that F1 could turn its back on the country that has hosted a round of the official calendar since 1985. He suggests that the event could be dropped with the support of the government.

« Maybe we will abandon Australia. Our costs are very high in this country and we have much less money. »

« We have a large number of countries on the list to host an event, and it seems that Prime Minister John Brumby would like to abstain from this meeting. We can accommodate this request and thus make others happy. »

He added: « It might be good to leave Australia aside because the amount of money we earn in Melbourne is much lower than for most of the European Grand Prix which can be an hour’s drive away! »