From GMM
Rome Grand Prix
Rome is pushing ahead with its plans to join the formula one calendar, but a huge spanner in the works is the sport's current political spat.
"I do not want to consider the idea of a grand prix of Rome without Ferrari," the Italian city's mayor Gianni Alemanno is quoted as saying by Corriere dello Sport on Thursday.
Nonetheless, despite the famous Italian team's threatened exit from the sport, the plans for a 4.7km street circuit in the 1930s Eur district - comprising more than $200m of private investment - were unveiled.
French Grand Prix
Plans to reunite a French grand prix with the F1 calendar are pushing ahead, with media reports claiming excavation on a circuit site near Paris is set to begin.
Authorities in March unveiled detailed plans for the new venue at Flins-Les-Mureaux, northeast of Paris.
Bernie Ecclestone said earlier this week that there is no guarantee France's planned F1 return will happen in 2011.
But the German news agency DPA reports that there is activity at the Flins site, despite the objection to the project by environmentalists and local residents.
British Grand Prix
Hot on the heels of Bernie Ecclestone's similar comments, the new promoter of the British grand prix has admitted the race may be absent from next year's calendar.
After a meeting with Donington's Simon Gillett this week, F1 chief executive Ecclestone said that if work on the venue is delayed, "we would be happy to skip a year".
Gillett's project, scheduled for a F1 debut in 2010, has been dogged by negative speculation, amid reports of questionable finance and legal actions.
On Thursday Gillett was quoted as insisting that formula one's historic British event is "safe" even if it may not take place mid next year.
"There was an announcement this week from Bernie that if we do have a problem he's prepared to wait a year rather than take it anywhere else," he told the BBC.
Rome Grand Prix
Rome is pushing ahead with its plans to join the formula one calendar, but a huge spanner in the works is the sport's current political spat.
"I do not want to consider the idea of a grand prix of Rome without Ferrari," the Italian city's mayor Gianni Alemanno is quoted as saying by Corriere dello Sport on Thursday.
Nonetheless, despite the famous Italian team's threatened exit from the sport, the plans for a 4.7km street circuit in the 1930s Eur district - comprising more than $200m of private investment - were unveiled.
French Grand Prix
Plans to reunite a French grand prix with the F1 calendar are pushing ahead, with media reports claiming excavation on a circuit site near Paris is set to begin.
Authorities in March unveiled detailed plans for the new venue at Flins-Les-Mureaux, northeast of Paris.
Bernie Ecclestone said earlier this week that there is no guarantee France's planned F1 return will happen in 2011.
But the German news agency DPA reports that there is activity at the Flins site, despite the objection to the project by environmentalists and local residents.
British Grand Prix
Hot on the heels of Bernie Ecclestone's similar comments, the new promoter of the British grand prix has admitted the race may be absent from next year's calendar.
After a meeting with Donington's Simon Gillett this week, F1 chief executive Ecclestone said that if work on the venue is delayed, "we would be happy to skip a year".
Gillett's project, scheduled for a F1 debut in 2010, has been dogged by negative speculation, amid reports of questionable finance and legal actions.
On Thursday Gillett was quoted as insisting that formula one's historic British event is "safe" even if it may not take place mid next year.
"There was an announcement this week from Bernie that if we do have a problem he's prepared to wait a year rather than take it anywhere else," he told the BBC.