Efforts to bring Formula 1 back to America have stepped up a notch, after former Indianapolis chief Tony George and leading US promoter Zak Brown visited last weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. Although George stepped down from the helm of the legendary circuit last year, his long friendship with Bernie Ecclestone means he is likely to still be a key figure in any attempt to revive Indy's relationship with F1.
The Indianapolis Star reported that Brown and George had been seeking to encourage the F1 fraternity to help raise the funding required to revive the United States Grand Prix. The race fell off the calendar after 2007, when George and Ecclestone were unable to agree on a future financial agreement, and since then many teams have been outspoken in their desire to get an American race back on the F1 schedule.
Brown said money remained the issue, but that Indy remained ready and waiting for F1 under the right conditions. "The questions for any Formula 1 race are: Where do you have it and how do you raise the money?" Brown told the Indy Star. "Indy's got the venue part solved. If you can solve the finances, you could open the gates tomorrow and have a race."
He is confident that Ecclestone would like F1 to be back at Indianapolis, despite the F1 supremo having hinted at a race in New York.
"Everyone wants it; there's no arm twisting," Brown said. "It's just getting all the pieces to come together."
The Indiana newspaper suggested that the 2012 season the date all parties had in mind if a US GP deal could be done.
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Formula One wants to go back to Indianapolis about as much as I want to spend a year in a Turkish prison.
Wonder what Mike Patrizio has to say about this?
