12/02/2016
NEWS STORY
Despite claims that the Italian Grand Prix at Monza was safe, Bernie Ecclestone claims this is not so, admitting that he is running out of patience whilst the legendary circuit runs out of time.
In December, the Italian Senate amended the nation's Stability Law which would allow the Automobile Club d'Italia (ACI) to use its public profits, including those from public vehicle registration, to assist with paying the ever increasing hosting fees. Previously, the Automobile Club of Milan was only allowed to use the money from ticket sales.
The move was intended to give the ACI add a further $12.5m to the $6.5m the Automobile Club of Milan had on offer.
"The agreement with Bernie is essentially already been found, the race is saved," ACI president Sticchi Damiani told Gazzetta dello Sport, "we just have to focus on a few details, including the duration of the contract."
Damiani, said he hoped the new contract, which could be for between four to seven years, would be signed by the end of next month.
It hasn't.
"It's Italian," Ecclestone told Reuters. "A lot of conversations at the moment but not much action.
"They said to me a few months ago 'everything is sorted out, we know exactly where we are and it's all agreed and no dramas'," he added. "And now I heard yesterday it's become very political. They'll get on with it. Or not. Nothing we can do about it."
Sources claim that there are "internal matter at SIAS", the Societa Incremento Automobilismo e Sport, which operates the track, thought to relate to concerns over funding for improvements to the track.
At a time when Mugello and Imola are both being considered as replacements for Monza as host of the Italian Grand Prix, Ecclestone displayed his usual keen wit when asked if there is a deadline.
"There's no deadline," he promised. "They can take as long as they like, provided it's by the end of this month."