United States GP bosses welcome November date for inaugural F1 race
By Pablo Elizalde
Thursday, August 11th 2011, 09:07 GMT
United States Grand Prix officials have welcome Bernie Ecclestone's decision to move the inaugural Austin race to November next year.
As revealed by AUTOSPORT, Ecclestone circulated a new version of the 2012 calendar during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
The teams, however, expressed concern about the move, with seven races at the end of the season in just 10 weekends and back-to-back events in Japan/Korea, Abu Dhabi/Bahrain and the United States/Brazil.
Although Ecclestone's proposed calendar is not official and will need the approval of the FIA, US GP bosses have welcome the new November date over the original June one.
"I have been hoping for a late-season race date since this project began and see this as a very positive sign from Formula 1 that it wants its US event to be an over-the-top success," said US Grand Prix chairman Tavo Hellmund.
"Mr. Ecclestone has dozens of competing issues to consider when it comes to the race calendar. He has to balance the interests of the teams with those of the promoters and even consider the unique situation of each host country.
"To put our race near the end of the schedule puts us in a prime spot to welcome the world next year - and I could not be more personally and professionally appreciative."
Steve Sexton, president of Circuit of The Americas, also praised the new race date.
"The Mayor's input regarding Central Texas' air quality during the summer months was obviously important to Formula 1 management, and to their credit, they listened and have responded," said Sexton.
"First and foremost, we want our fans to have a great experience when they come here. The prospect of milder weather makes that more likely. It also gives us time to better prepare our staff and the thousands of volunteers who will be supporting Formula 1 race week festivities."
Credit: AUTOSPORT.COM (www.autosport.com)
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