ABU DHABI: Formula One races in Mexico and New Jersey are unlikely to happen next year, the sport’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Sunday.
Both events were on a 22-race calendar published in September but the 83-year-old doubted they would stay on a final version due to be approved by the governing body next month.
“I would doubt whether it’s going to happen,” the British billionaire said when asked about New Jersey, whose debut has already been postponed once.
That June 1 race is listed as part of a ‘triple header’ on successive weekends in between Monaco and Canada.
“It’s not definite that it will or won’t (go ahead) but I doubt that it does,” said Ecclestone.
Mexico, whose race is scheduled for November 16 as the penultimate round of the season at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit, also has an asterisk against it on the provisional calendar.
“Definitely not,” said Ecclestone before correcting himself: “Probably not”.
F1 has never had more than 20 races in a season, with this year’s calendar running to 19 rounds.
If Mexico and New Jersey fail to make the final version the main novelties will be Austria – returning in June after a decade off – and a new race in Russia’s Winter Olympic venue Sochi.
India has been dropped for 2014 and Korea’s race remains doubtful. (Reuters)
