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Ecclestone to Secure Rome GP Trademark

The prospect of having Rome on the map of Formula One moved one step closer to becoming reality earlier this week, as media reports showed that F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has already applied for a pan-European trademark to the name 'Formula 1 Gran Premio di Roma' last month.

The news was reported by London's Evening Standard, along with the assumption that a Rome Grand Prix is already on Ecclestone's mind for the 2011 season. The news wouldn't come as a shock to any Formula One fan, as the very mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, revealed the city's F1 project in mid-May.

The potential circuit will have an overall length of 4.6 kilometers and will be homed in the EUR quarter of Rome. It will require an average speed of 177 kph, with a lap time of 1:34. The only thing left to do for the Rome mayor is to raise the necessary funds to begin planning the race and obtain green light from the Formula One Management (FOM, controlled by Ecclestone).

In light of this latest report about Ecclestone's application, we can safely assume Rome will not miss their chance of hosting an F1 race. Only two questions remain: Will the huge investment in setting up an F1 race worth only a one-off status? If so, when will we see Rome in the Formula One schedule?

Until finding those answers, we'd like to remind you that the “Gran Premio di Roma” title was used in FIA-sanctioned competitions before. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Rome GP was a common round of the F2 schedule, while also hosting non-sanctioned F1 races. Also, that title was used by the Vallelunga circuit when hosting rounds of the Formula 3000 championship back in the early 1990s.
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