Bernie Ecclestone, the man so mistakenly referred to by a Hollywood TV show as “the founder of Formula One”, has reinforced his previous tough stance on the Australian Grand Prix, a week before the start of the 2008 season in Australia.
Ecclestone said: “The only way the race could stay in Melbourne, or anywhere else in Australia, is if it is staged during the night so that the public in Europe can watch it.
"At the moment, it is ridiculous that people are asked not to sleep in order to see it live. That can't carry on.
"The alternative is to pull the race completely from Australia. I've spoken to (new prime minister) Kevin Rudd and he's told me it would cost too much to re-stage the race, so I guess that's it. We won't be going to Australia for too much longer.”
Singapore will host F1’s first ever night race on 28th September 2008. More Asian countries are expected to follow suit in order to better accommodate European daytime viewing times. It is well-known that Bernie is a one iron man who rarely ever backs down when it comes to negotiating for F1, however, no one can say for sure if these threats will be carried out or if they are just a public negotiating tactic on the part of Ecclestone.
Source: Mail on Sunday
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