Ecclestone warns Monza must pay to stay in F1

Bernie Ecclestone has warned that Monza “must pay”, if it wishes to remain a part of the F1 calendar after their contract expires this year.

The legendary track of Monza has been absent only once since the start of Formula One in 1950. It along with the Monaco pay a little less than what the other European Circuits pay( close to €20 million) due to the historic significance of the two circuits.

Bernie has many at times cast  doubts over the circuit’s future, calling its current contract a “disaster”. It raises the question if he is asking too much money from the organisers, to which the 84 year old responded, “No, it’s what the other organisers manage to pay. Why should they (Monza) have different conditions than Zeltweg (Austria) or Spa? I have asked for the same numbers and the same terms.”

“It’s a very simple situation. Two years ago I made a deal with one of the people who is no longer involved,” Ecclestone told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“For Monza we applied the same economic conditions of the other European circuits [€20M for every GP]. All done, all good, we shook hands, but after that meeting nothing happened.

“There is a contract for the 2015 race, but not for future seasons.

Monza is now the second historic circuit to come under doubts this year, after the German Grand Prix was initially cancelled for the current 2015 season citing financial issues. 2015 will be the first time, a German Grand Prix is missing since 1960.

When asked about the special status of Monza in the sport, Ecclestone agreed: “Yes, but for F1 you also have to pay.”

On the contrary, the organisers of the Italian Grand Prix are pretty confident that they’ll be able to negotiate a contract, at least till 2020. Here’s hoping the legendary, iconic circuit stays in the F1 calendar.

 Edited By :- Shuvam Kumar