Imola Needs State Aid to Secure F1 Future

Imola could be dropped from the Formula One calendar from 2004 unless state cash is available to secure its future, the president of Italy's Automobile Association has warned.

Friday's Gazzetta dello Sport quoted ACI head Franco Lucchesi as saying that a 10-year deal had been agreed with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone to safeguard both Imola and Monza, home of the Italian Grand Prix.

The agreement is due to be signed shortly.

But Lucchesi said Imola, the circuit near Bologna where Brazilian world champion Ayrton Senna died after crashing in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, needed to guarantee by June 2002 that it could carry out required renovations.

Monza has already approved the works.

"Both Monza, which has already started them, and Imola must carry out extremely expensive renovations," Lucchesi said at the Bologna motor show.

"The regional authorities and government must give a concrete economic contribution otherwise the Formula One inheritance of both these two venues will end up evaporating," he added.

The Corriere della Sera newspaper said Monza and Imola would need to spend some 50 billion lire ($23.04 million) between them.

It quoted Lucchesi as saying the cost would be too much for the circuit owners to bear alone but he was confident assistance would be forthcoming given the economic importance for the surrounding regions.

Imola and Monza are currently only provisional listings on the 17-race 2002 calendar, along with Britain's Silverstone and the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Silverstone is in doubt, pending an enquiry into traffic problems at the circuit, while Melbourne is provisional pending a hearing into the death of marshal in March.