20/06/2004
NEWS STORY
It's understood that Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, have agreed a two-year extension to the current contract to host a round of the Formula One World Championship at the legendary American track.
Talking to reporters on Saturday, Ecclestone revealed that both parties were happy to extend the current contract: "I said to Tony: 'We're happy if you're happy. If you don't want me to pick the option up, I won't. If you want to extend the contract, I will," he said.
"We're going to make it work. I'm committed," added Ecclestone. "He's happy with it and we should continue like that."
The Englishman revealed that he had not forced George into deciding how long he wanted to continue with F1 at Indy: "I left that up to him," he said. "We have that sort of relationship."
Despite favourably priced tickets - certainly compared to Europe - pit walkabouts, driver signings and various other user-friendly ideas, F1 has still failed to capture the public's imagination in the United States, where NASCAR still rules the roost, much to F1 team owners' chagrin.
Much of this is said to be down to the failure of F1 to capture the attention of TV broadcasters in the USA, though at a time when one driver/team is dominating the sport to such an extent, it's unlikely that broadcasters will change their opinion of F1 in the foreseeable future.
The decision to move the race from its 'traditional' slot to June - just a few weeks after the Indy 500 - hasn't helped.