Ecclestone lines up Imola if Monza deal fails

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Bernie Ecclestone says the Italian Grand Prix is set to move to Imola if a deal with Monza fails to be completed.

Monza is in the last year of its current deal to host the race, and talks over the winter have so far failed to secure a new contract. Automobile Club d'Italia (ACI) president Angelo Sticchi Damiani was previously confident a new seven-year deal would be signed but was also lining up Imola as a replacement venue if required.

Ecclestone now says "we'll be in Imola" if there is no further progress with Monza.

"We need to rely little bit on the national sporting authorities in the country to support," Ecclestone said. "So if it doesn’t happen in Monza they want to support it then we’ll be in Imola."

Asked what the chances are of Monza staying on the calendar, Ecclestone replied: "At the moment I don’t know, I really don’t know.

"They know when [the deadline] is in order to be on the calendar.

"I hope [the Italian Grand Prix remains], I hope it’s sorted out. It’s up to their national sporting authority to decide."

And when asked if Imola is ready to host a grand prix again, Ecclestone replied: "Well they’re doing a lot of work, so yes I think so."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.