JULY 4, 2003

Bernie talks Argentina

Bernie Ecclestone was in Milan yesterday for a meeting with Argentina's vice-president Daniel Scioli about the possibility of a new race in Buenos Aires. The biggest problem for Argentina remains one of finance as the country has undergone serious instability in recent years. A new government was recently elected and are looking at ways of improving the image of the country and are hoping that they might be able to get back on the Formula 1 calendar in 2005. The plan would be revive the Autodromo Oscar Galvez in Buenos Aires with increased spectator capacity and some major resurfacing work. Scioli said that the government will not be a position to invest any money in the programme but added that there may be ways of finding the finance through some of the institutions, presumably government-owned companies and perhaps regional authorities and city governments.

"We would like to go back to Argentina," Ecclestone said. "It was a good race and we could just hop over from Brazil."

The biggest problem is not perhaps raising the money to upgrade the circuit but rather winning a place on a calendar which is already oversubscribed. This, of course, helps Ecclestone keep the pressure up on existing circuits to increase the fees they pay and constantly improve their facilities.

The last Argentine Grand Prix took place in 1998 although the event dates back to the early 1950s when the Autodromo was built by President Juan Peron.