Ecclestone Considers US Return in F1 Calendar

Bernie Ecclestone admitted he is considering several venues for a potential 20-race calendar in Formula 1. While insisting he needs the teams' go-ahead to extend the F1 schedule in the near future, the 78-year old Englishman revealed the United States are certainly on the list. He did mention, however, that under no circumstances Formula 1 will return to Indianapolis.

Apart from the North American continent, Ecclestone also named India, Korea and even Russia as potential hosts of F1 grands prix. From the three aforementioned countries, only India is officially scheduled to host a race in the series, in 2010.

“I would like to see 20 races on the calendar but it is a case of trying to convince the teams. We have India for 2010. Korea is building a circuit and we are talking to Russia. America is also looking good – though we will not go back to Indianapolis,” said Ecclestone, according to planetf1.com.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway was part of the F1 calendar since 2000, but was axed from the series two years ago as the circuit owners failed to reach an agreement with Ecclestone. The “Brickyard” witnessed one of Formula 1's most embarrassing moments in 2005, when most teams refused to send their drivers on the grid due to tire-related safety reasons. Only 3 teams competed in that race, won by Michael Schumacher.

However, the enthusiasm of North American racing fans around the formation of an all-American F1 team – US Grand Prix Engineering – has led to Ecclestone putting US back on the list of potential candidates. Also, several F1 manufacturers have urged the Englishman to reconsider his position towards the aforementioned region, as it provides a very important part of their worldwide market.

The other important US circuit to have hosted the American Grand Prix in the past is Watkins Glen (1961 thru 1980). The New York state venue is currently hosting racing events in the IRL and NASCAR (among other North American series).