• Chinese Grand Prix

Ecclestone insists China is here to stay

ESPNF1 Staff
April 16, 2010 « Assured McLaren and Mercedes in control | »
The crowd in Shanghai were lost in the vast stands © Sutton Images
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Bernie Ecclestone brushed aside speculation over the future of the Chinese Grand Prix and insisted it will be on the Formula One calendar for a long time to come.

"The contract is ongoing here," he said. "We renew every five years. It will go on." He added that the Chinese government was "fully supportive" of F1.

But there was no denying there are major issues with the event, and less than 2000 spectators were present inside the 200,000 venue for the Friday practice session giving the whole place a surreal atmosphere. One vast section of seating was covered in advertising hoardings, so unlikely was the chance of it ever selling out.

Ecclestone had little choice but to admit it was not satisfactory. "It's a shame because the whole venue is super," he said. "They've not promoted it properly, it's as simple as that. If you were in Shanghai, you wouldn't even know there was a race here."

He also said that no circuits would be dropped in 2011 when India joins the circus, adding that even if new grands prix in places like New York and Russia were introduced, there would be no cutbacks. "We're not dropping anything," he explained, adding the F1 fraternity should be "getting ready for 25" races in the future.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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