Ecclestone: Other European Grand Prix races will disappear
As the number of Formula 1 Grand Prix held in Europe continues to decrease over the past few years, Bernie Ecclestone has admitted that "two or three" more could be removed from the Formula 1 World Championship calendar.
New races have been continually added to the Formula 1 World Championship calendar for several years, most of them outside Europe, at the expense of those held on the Old Continent, and this trend is expected to continue according to Bernie Ecclestone.
The head of Formula 1’s commercial rights predicts the loss of new European Grand Prix in the coming years in order to visit new locations and access new markets. That’s what he told Sky Sports F1: “We will continue to move forward. We are a world championship. We will probably lose another two or three races in Europe.”
Since 1999, there has been the arrival of Malaysia, Bahrain, China, Turkey (whose Grand Prix has since disappeared), Abu Dhabi, South Korea, India, and the return to the United States. There should be the arrival of Russia, as well as a possible entry of Thailand, and there is also talk of a return to Mexico or South Africa, or even a second Grand Prix in India. This trend of new Grand Prix emerging, combined with the desire not to overly extend the duration of Formula 1 seasons, could therefore cost several current Grand Prix their spots.
Europe is the historic heart of Formula 1, but this internationalization doesn’t always please the teams as it forces them to travel more and more frequently. But Martin Whitmarsh, the head of the McLaren team, understands Bernie Ecclestone’s strategy, as he told Sky Sports News: « Bernie is responsible for the commercial development of the sport. But we can only race in Europe if people want us here, and there is a lot of competition, many places that want to host Grand Prix. Currently, out of the 20 races, most are outside Europe, which is quite tough for the teams. But I think it’s Bernie’s job to promote and develop the sport […]. But frankly, Bernie has to do what’s necessary and secure contracts wherever he can. »
This season, there are 8 Grand Prix that took place in Europe out of the 20 listed on the calendar: Spain, Monaco, the European Grand Prix (held in Valencia), Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, and Italy. In 2013, the European Grand Prix was supposed to disappear in favor of a Grand Prix in New Jersey, but the latter will finally only take place in 2014. But the number of European races will remain at 7, which corresponds to about 37% of the Grand Prix held in Europe, whereas 15 years ago, this figure was almost double: 70% of Grand Prix were held in Europe in 1997, with San Marino, Monaco, Spain, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Luxembourg, and a European Grand Prix held in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.
