JULY 11, 2012

New F1 deals for Singapore and Spa

Singapore's Today newspaper is quoting Bernie Ecclestone saying that a new five year Singapore GP deal has been agreed until the end of 2017. The news comes in the same week that the iconic Spa circuit is believed to have struck a three-year deal safeguarding the Belgian GP until the end of 2015.

Singapore's Today newspaper is quoting Bernie Ecclestone saying that a new five year Singapore GP deal has been agreed until the end of 2017. The news comes in the same week that the iconic Spa circuit is believed to have struck a three-year deal safeguarding the Belgian GP until the end of 2015.

On the Singapore deal, which had been in some doubt over the sanctioning fee, Today quotes Ecclestone: "Everything that was in the way of the Singapore Grand Prix continuing for another five years has been cleared. I'm happy that this is out of the way because Singapore has been good to F1 and the night race has also been equally good for Singapore."

It is understood that the official announcement will be made at a time decided by the Singapore government, with this year's race due to be held on September 23 at the conclusion of the European season.

In Belgium, meanwhile, Jean-Claude Marcourt, economics minister for the Wallonia region, told national broadcaster RTBF that an agreement bas been reached which secures the Belgian GP until the end of 2015.

Initial plans to alternate Spa with a reinstated French GP, at Paul Ricard, appear to have bitten the dust following the change of government in France.

Marcourt said: "We were able to negotiate a contract extension for 2013, 2014 and 2015. What I wanted to do was to reduce the size of the expenditure budget for the Walloon region and I would say that we have accomplished the mission.

"There was no way we could continue to lose as much money as we had been."