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Ecclestone Commited to India Race

Bernie Ecclestone won't back down when it comes to Formula 1 visiting new venues in the near future. After axing both the US and Canadian Grands Prix from the series' schedule last year, the F1 supreme reaffirmed his desire to see the championship make a new stop in India. The Indian Grand Prix was officially announced as part of the Formula 1 schedule in 2010, but Ecclestone revealed that the new circuit will debut in the series a year later.

However, several concerns arose as to whether the Indian authorities will have enough funds to build the new track in time for the 2011 event. The work on the circuit has recently been postponed due to the latest economic downturn, with the Indian Olympic Association yet to unveil when (or if) it will be resumed in the future.

However, Ecclestone rests in peace when it comes to the Indian Grand Prix discussion, assuring the media and the Indian motorsport enthusiasts that F1 will stand by its commitment to race in India starting as early as 2011. Although the sport is consistently growing on the Indian public, Ecclestone admitted he doesn't expect F1 to rival cricket any time soon.

“Of course we will deliver... otherwise we wouldn't have entered into an agreement. It's a large, large country with a big population and it's good for the sponsors, car manufacturers and everyone involved in Formula One. I doubt in India anything will be a rival to cricket, but let's see,” said the F1 supreme in an interview for BBC Asian Network.

Ecclestone recently argued that it was about time an Indian driver should make his way into Formula 1, nominating GP2 race winner Karun Chandhok for the job. Vijay Mallya, the only Indian team owner in Formula 1, insisted that Indian drivers are not yet prepared to make this step in their careers. However, if that'll make the sport more attractive in his native country – and it surely will – Bernie might give him a call soon enough.
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