• Rome Grand Prix

Rome GP confident of 2013 introduction

Promoter Maurizio Flammini [right] is pushing ahead for a race on the streets of Rome in 2013 © Getty Images

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The promoter of the Rome Grand Prix, Maurizio Flammini, has revealed that Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone has told him to press ahead with plans to bring the street race to the calendar in 2013.

Despite a recent spate of opposition from the Italian Grand Prix venue Monza, the country's biggest team Ferrari and a survey that suggested over 80% of local residents are against the plans, Flammini is confident the first Rome Grand Prix will take place in three years.

"The first race?" he asked rhetorically during an interview with the Il Riformista newspaper. "I expect it to be in 2013."

Fammini added that the final plans will be reviewed by authorities by the end of December.

"According to the standard procedure this will take at least 60 days," he said. "If the project would have been approved by the end of the year, we would have been ready for 2012. In Italy everything is ready and the Formula One circus is ready to welcome us. A few days ago I spoke with Bernie Ecclestone and he asked me to go ahead. When we are ready, we will close the final agreement."

It had been reported earlier in 2010 that a final agreement had already been signed.

"We signed a preliminary agreement for at least two years," Flammini clarified. "Ecclestone is helping us but he is concerned about the delay. The competition is fierce, there are at least 30 other circuits that are pushing. If we don't hurry we may lose this opportunity."

Flammini dismissed some of the criticisms of the Rome project, including fears of increased pollution in the city.

"You must be joking," he hit back. "We should be thanked that instead of thousands of cars, for a few days there will be only 24 on a 5 kilometre circuit. Traffic? A study has shown the increase to be 25%, but we are talking about August, when the presence of cars is well under 50% of the annual average."

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