No decision on US GP before 2006 race

Speculation about whether Indianapolis wants to continue hosting the US GP has been rife since the tyre controversy that marred the 2005 event - especially with the circuit's contract to host a Formula One race running out this year.

But despite F1's desire to keep the race on the calendar, because of the importance of the United States market, Indianapolis chiefs have made it clear that they will not rush into making a decision.

Instead, they have said that they want to see how fans receive this year's event before they make a decision about whether they want to continue with F1.

"We had conversations after last year's event and then mutually decided to address the future after we see how this year's event goes," circuit spokesman Fred Nation told The Indianapolis Star.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone admitted earlier this month that he was unsure about whether a new deal with Indianapolis would be struck - and hinted about a possible switch to Las Vegas.

"The contract with Indianapolis expires this year, and I don't yet know whether there will be the conditions to renew it," he said in an interview with Autosprint. "I'm looking around for an alternative solution.

"You can forget the idea of going back to Long Beach, although I'd like a street circuit anyway, like in the 1980's. Ideally it would be a track in Las Vegas, obtained from the 'Strip,' the road with all the most important casinos. We are trying that, we're working on it."