If, until now, European nations were regarded as holding the best chances of hosting new Formula One races in the near future – Bulgaria, Russia, Italy (Rome) – Ecclestone suggested the Great Circle might return to Argentina in the years to come. Following a successful outing at the Autodromo Juan y Oscar Galvez in capital Buenos Aires in 1998, F1 is considering heading back to the South American country.
However, the F1 supremo made it very clear that this will only happen if the Argentine government & promoters move fast and start the construction of a brand new circuit (street or road course) in due time. Autodromo Juan y Oscar Galvez is no longer an option for hosting an F1 grand prix, confirmed the 78-year old Englishman.
“We're interested in going there (to Argentina) but they (the promoters) have to do something. They have to build a circuit,” admitted Ecclestone for Spanish newspaper Diario Sport, while present at the British Grand Prix last weekend.
Local newspapers have already started rumoring about a potential F1 project, suggesting that a street race might suit the Argentine promoters better than a new circuit. However, no official confirmation from either a promoter or the Argentine government was issued in the last few days.
The South American country made a breakthrough entry in the motorsport world last year, when picked to host the first non-African Dakar Rally in the history of the event. Together with Chile, Argentina managed to secure the 2010 edition of the rally also, which means much of the governmental funds will be redirected to the aforementioned event rather than building a new, expensive F1 track.
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