Bernie Ecclestone Suggests 20-Race Calendar For 2011


Bernie Ecclestone has suggested that next season’s schedule will see the circus decamp in twenty different locations, further adding to the calendar with the much anticipated Indian Grand Prix in New Delhi. When asked if the new race would be replacing any of the current stop-offs on the world championship tour, Ecclestone insisted that all existing grands prix would remain for 2011. With nineteen races already, the Indian Grand Prix would take the championship to the upper limit imposed by Bernie.

Construction has begun on the new ~$360m circuit, located in the Greater Noida area, approximately 40km from India’s capital city, New Delhi. Currently named the Jaypee Group Circuit, the track will reside in a larger complex of other leisure amenities, notably a golf course, cricket stadium and sports academy (much like the Yas Island project in Abu Dhabi).

When Ecclestone was asked about a possible return to Indianapolis for the United States Grand Prix, Bernie seemed positive about wanting to make it happen, and said the famous speedway was the best venue to hold the event.

It’s only the fact that it’s all the wrong crowd and the wrong people and they didn’t really… nothing worked there really, we’d have to have a big change round. But we’d like to get back there. Bernie Ecclestone.

Formula One will return to North America this year when the teams arrive in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix. However, with such a large automobile market, the USA is an important area that the sport has neglected in recent times.

More information on the Jaypee Group Circuit can be found at BlogF1’s sister site, AerialF1.

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