Ecclestone wants to extend Australia and eyes Mexico

The contract linking the Australian Grand Prix to the Formula 1 World Championship will expire in 2015, and although Bernie Ecclestone had stated several months ago that F1 could do without Australia, he has just declared that he would be delighted to continue the adventure in Melbourne for the next 50 years.

« Everyone loves Australia, and it’s nice to go there. I understand that there are some criticisms, but I don’t know why. We are happy with Melbourne, and I would be delighted to sign a contract for 50 years. We have no problem with Melbourne; we hope to go there forever, » Ecclestone shared in the official Australian Grand Prix podcast.

However, even if the FOM boss is so enthusiastic, nothing is set for the extension of Melbourne on the Formula 1 calendar because while the organizers of the Australian race would also like to extend, they also hope to reduce the fees paid to host F1 – notably following the recent financial losses.

Apart from Australia, and still in his expansion efforts, Bernie Ecclestone has also recently shown interest in another country that could make its return to the Formula 1 World Championship calendar in the coming months or years, Mexico. He revealed to AutoWeek that discussions were underway and that a race was almost organized in Cancun: “We were on the verge of having a race in Cancun. We had a contract, but they couldn’t get the authorization they were hoping for.”

Today, the Mexican Grand Prix project in Cancun seems to be a completely abandoned idea, at least for Bernie Ecclestone, who believes that the only city capable of hosting F1 in Mexico is Mexico City: Mexico is a much better place than Cancun to hold a race. In almost any city in the world, you can ask people ‘where is Mexico City?’ and they will say in Mexico. If you ask someone where Cancun is, they will say ‘I don’t know’.

The holding of this Grand Prix could be done with the help of Mexican sponsors, notably Telmex, owned by Carlos Slim, the wealthiest man in the world according to the Forbes ranking, but Bernie Ecclestone made sure to temper this assumption: « Everyone thinks that Carlos Slim is going to pay the bills for the race, but I know that he won’t do it. »

Apart from Argentina, the list of countries that would like to be on the F1 calendar is long, but one country has been persistently mentioned for some time now, Morocco. Bernie Ecclestone acknowledged the existence of discussions with King Mohammed VI, but for now, the F1’s chief financial officer does not consider this Grand Prix feasible given Morocco’s low attractiveness to car manufacturers.

Another country that would like to make its return to F1 is France. One of its most fervent supporters, Alain Prost, spoke on the subject, confident that while a spot on the 2013 calendar was utopian, 2014 was a possibility: “I still read in the press that there would be opportunities for 2013. That is of course impossible. However, for 2014, there is always a possible opening.”

For several months now, France seems to be a serious candidate to return to F1, but nothing concrete is happening, and Alain Prost remains optimistic because discussions are ongoing: « Nothing is totally guaranteed. Discussions continue with Ecclestone. »