Series pushing for European races

He said: "That's what we would love to happen. We have a great fanbase in Europe, a lot of our participating drivers are from Europe, and we can make it work. On my provisional schedule for 2007, I have Assen down for September 23 and Oschersleben for September 30.

"We have signed Memorandums of Understanding with both circuits, and we have until next Tuesday for the financial settlements to be finalised, and we - and our partners at the tracks are using our best efforts to try and make this happen for 2007. We're up against the 11th hour, but we'll work at it."

Should Assen and Oschersleben appear on the final calendar - and there will not be one without the other - it will be a 16-race schedule for next year, with a total of five new circuits, Las Vegas, Zhuhai and Phoenix being the other three.

If the Assen/Oschersleben deal can't be done, the calendar will be 15 races, with possibly a third Canadian race being brought in to plug the hole in September's schedule.

A replacement for Circuit Gilles Villeneuve could be a race at Montreal's abandoned Mirabel airport or Mont-Tremblant.