JULY 20, 2016

Capelli cannot see Monza losing F1 to Imola

Former F1 driver Ivan Capelli says he is confident Monza will soon end its troubles and cement its place on the 2017 calendar.

This week, reports have suggested Bernie Ecclestone is on the cusp of switching the Italian grand prix from Monza to Imola, citing "political problems".

Capelli is now president of the automobile club of Milan, which is in that political mix.

"It is just technicalities that need a clear framework that we already know will be formalised this week," he is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"The money is there. If it were to go to Imola, it is because there is a will that is beyond all of that but right now, I cannot see it," Capelli added.

He denied that a solution to the situation between Monza and Imola is that the two circuits annually alternate the Italian grand prix.

"No," Capelli said, "because there was always the Italian grand prix at Monza, and rightly so. I think the goal is to sign for four more years."

(GMM)