NOVEMBER 3, 2013

2014 calendar to shrink by two races

F1's bustling 2014 calendar looks set to shed at least a couple of races.

The German-language Speed Week reports that the new grands prix scheduled for New Jersey and Mexico will in fact not take place next season.

The 2014 schedule should then shrink from an unprecedented 22 to a still-hectic 20 races.

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone was quoted as saying the construction of a new pit building in Mexico is "virtually impossible" for a November 2014 race date.

And New Jersey, he added, is "not going to happen because they haven't got their finances in place."

Ecclestone is quoted by SID news agency in Abu Dhabi: "I only put it (New Jersey) on the calendar because they assured me again and again that everything will work out."

(GMM)