Q & A with IMS boss Tony George

Tony George - IMS chief executive: The decision to not have (Formula One) here next year was totally considered independently of any consideration there might be given to having a motorcycle race here. It was simply a business decision, and there are a lot of factors that weigh into that. It was a decision that was considered solely on its own merit.

Q. Any possibility that this decision could change, or could F1 end up somewhere else in the US next year?

TG: I wouldn't have any insight as to whether or not there would be another round scheduled in the US in 2008. I don't believe there will be, but that would be something that would be derived at without my being involved.

I know that originally a preliminary schedule had been released with Indianapolis on it, but again, my hope is that for the future that we'll be able to bring all of the components that are important to a successful event together so that one day we can bring it back here.

Q. How far apart were the two sides, and was the city of Indianapolis willing to offer anything to keep the race here?

TG: You mean financially? There was no discussion as to what financial contributions the city of Indianapolis might be able to bring to the relationship. Clearly it's a business decision, one that we have to consider as an event and what Bernie and Formula One have to consider as part of their business and as an opportunity.

Money is a factor. It's not the only factor. It has some bearing on the decision, but there are a number of things that I believe need to happen for it to be viable as a business opportunity.

One, the promoters, in this case Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Formula One, have to provide the leadership in a working relationship that includes a national broadcast partner and a title sponsor that will actively embrace and support the event, along with a number of other things. Those are the important things that really have been lacking.

That's not to say that our relationship with Formula One hasn't been good, because it has. They've been good to work with. Bernie personally has been good to work with. In fact, I'm sure it would be a surprise to many based on the reputation that many consider him to have, but he is a good guy to work with.

He's always been straightforward and honest with me. I respect him and his decision to do what he has to do for Formula One as a whole.

Q. The F1 manufacturers really value being in the United States. Was there every any consideration to making Bernie a partner in this race?

TG: There was some discussion about that, yes, but in the end that was not what he wanted to do and not the way we prefer to do things. But there was some discussion about that. The manufacturers were another key element to achieving success.

There are six engine manufacturers, five of which consider the United States as fairly important to their business. They want to have a presence in the United States, it's just a matter of all the elements coming together and being able to support and sustain an event here.

In the United States, Formula One is not perceived quite the way it is around the world. It's a tough dynamic, but the future will depend upon recognizing the fact that the United States is a bit different. It's important to figure out how to make it work.

Q. How personally disappointed about this?

TG: Obviously I'm personally disappointed. Eight years ago, it was our intent to host this on an annual basis, and while I still hold out hope that we'll be able to bring it back, it's tough to have a hiatus like this. I view it as such. I'm going to continue to work on this to try to bring it back to the best of my ability as soon as possible.

Q. Did you lose out to another country or another bid?

TG: No, it's a business decision for us and a business decision for Formula One. They have a lot of opportunities to consider and I think they feel like they made the fair assessment of this situation and their opportunities.

If we're not on the schedule, they'll probably have 18 races, and I think they can go up to 20 races, so it's not like the music stopped and we didn't have a seat.

We'll continue to have dialogue, but it's not fair to us or our customers - the loyal core Formula One fans -- to just go on hold indefinitely while we try to decide if we're going to have a ticket renewal process or what for next year. We just need to pull back and re-evaluate the situation and see where it goes from here.