Ecclestone: Britain could share GP

With South Korea due to be added to the schedule in 2010, and India also planning to have its first F1 race that year, Ecclestone has admitted that European venues will likely be squeezed out.

Speaking in an interview with the Bloomberg news agency, Ecclestone said that one possibility to free up space on the calendar would be for Silverstone and Magny-Cours to alternate their races.

Ecclestone said the French organisers "are happy to do that. As for the British race, I don't know what they want and I'm not sure they do."

Discussions between Ecclestone and Indian organisers are said to be 'far down the line', although he declined to elaborate on where the race was planned.

"India is a country that is probably going to grow quicker than China," added Ecclestone. "We had to make sure we found the right place in India and we have."

The idea of venues sharing races is not completely new, with Hockenheim and Nurburgring organisers having agreed from next year to alternate the German Grand Prix because of the financial demands of hosting an F1 race.