The Weekly Grapevine

Shaping the calendar

Contract renegotiation time, it seems, is hitting various circuits in and out of Europe - and some may not be willing (or able) to cough up the huge amounts required by Formula One Management, which, forget not, will soon fall under the spell of CVC Partners, who will, in all likelihood, raise a bond to cover the purchase price agreed with Bernie Ecclestone and the trio of banks from whom they bought FOM's parent entity, SLEC.

That said, race hosting fees are expected to rise dramatically in the near future, and with countries such as Bahrain and China seemingly willing to splurge upwards of $40m (USD) merely for the privilege of hosting F1's circus for a weekend, why should the commercial rights' holder settle for a measly $11m (USD) or so from the likes of Nurburgring, Hockenheim or Imola?