17/12/2011
NEWS STORY
In an interview with David Frost, Bernie Ecclestone talked of his fears for F1 in the USA, his disappointment at its failure in Turkey and the problems of an expanding calendar.
With the row in Austin apparently settled and a race in New Jersey in place for 2013, the future of Formula One in the United States would appear to be looking very good. Not so, said Ecclestone in an interview with broadcasting legend Frost for Al Jazeera.
When Frost asked if he expected F1 to be big in the USA in ten years time, the response was instant: "No," said Ecclestone.
"We've got a maximum of two races in America," he continued, "and when you consider the country is as big as Europe and we've got several races in Europe, it's difficult. If we had a lot more races there and a lot more television it would be okay. It's a bit like the rest of America in that they want to see a profit before they start something and it's not easy to do that."
Asked about Turkey, which has been dropped from the calendar after just seven years, Ecclestone said: "I was talking to someone this morning about Turkey.
"It is a pity we have lost that because I think it is one of those countries that's going to really move on in the world and that's why I went there in the first place," he added, no doubt referring to the Asian part of Turkey as opposed to the European.
In 2012, F1 faces its busiest ever schedule with twenty races making up the calendar, the most allowed under the terms of the Concorde Agreement. Though he would dearly love to add more races, the F1 supremo admits that this is unlikely.
"We have enough countries waiting but I think we have to stop now," he admitted. "It's difficult for the people who work in Formula One with all the travelling. They never see their families, that's the big problem."