Australian Politician Demands End of Grand Prix Era in 2015

The recent discussions about the possibility of dropping the Australian Grand Prix from the F1 calendar in the near future are apparently not all water under the bridge. Although at some point it was decided that Melbourne's Albert Park complex will be happy to welcome the F1 caravan in the next few years, now another local politician publicly lobbied for the Aussie GP drop off.

“The grand prix may have been a good deal in 1996, when it cost the government only $1.7 million; but, with falling crowd numbers and taxpayers footing a $50 million-a-year bill, the government should cut its losses and walk away,” said Michael Danby, a member of the Australian parliament, who pointed the finger at the current financial losses recorded by the race in recent years.

His comments come weeks away from Robert Doyle's – the mayor of Melbourne – who also tried to pressure F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone into lowering the fees for the race by giving him an ultimatum. The response from England was quite acid, as Ecclestone even offered to terminate the current deal – which runs until 2015 – with immediate effect as long as the Australian officials are ready to come up with a good offer for it.

Danby, on the other hand, doesn't seem too impressed with Ecclestone's stance, suggesting that 2015 should be the final year Albert Park will be part of the Great Circus. Unless something changes – financially speaking – the current coordinates of the contract make it impossible to extend, argued the Australian politician, whose electorate includes the Albert Park region.

“Rising costs, dwindling crowds, fed-up local residents, an ambivalent Melbourne mayor... to me, everything points to Melbourne saying 'thanks for the memories' but gracefully declining to renew the grand prix contract.”