Moscow Still Hoping for Grand Prix in 2004

A planned Russian Formula One Grand Prix remains a possibility after being put on hold earlier this year, Moscow's tourism chief said on Monday.

"I'm sure, it (Formula One) will come here and it will happen, as we have planned, in 2004," Grigory Antyufeyev, the head of the city council's tourism committee, told Izvestia newspaper. "Nobody has said with certainty that it will not happen."

The Moscow Grand Prix looked a strong candidate five months ago when Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone came to the Russian capital to sign a deal with city mayor Yuri Luzhkov. Ecclestone expected the first race to take place in Moscow as early as 2004 at a circuit, which has yet to be built in Nagatino, a few kilometres southeast of the city centre.

But a signing ceremony was put on hold at the last minute after the two sides could not agree on a proposed seven-year television deal, valued at around $250 million. The two parties said they expected the deal to be signed within a month, but further problems emerged.

This month, Antyufeyev was heavily criticised by the Russian media for allegedly "failing to properly inform the Moscow mayor of the exact details of the proposed deal".

The media called the Nagatino project "dead". On Monday Antyufeyev agreed that the final contract had yet to be signed.

"But we still have a preliminary agreement between the Moscow government and the Formula One chiefs to hold a race here," he said. "Some countries take six to seven years before they can have a Formula One race."

The Russian media reported this month that Moscow's racing officials were backing another Formula One project - north of the city, near Sheremetyevo international airport. St Petersburg officials said they were also interested in building a Formula One track in Russia's second city.