» Monza concerned it will lose its place in F1

Italian Grand Prix organisers are seriously concerned that plans to take the sport to a street race in Rome will leave the historic Monza circuit without a Grand Prix.

Noises from the Italian capital and Bernie Ecclestone’s Formula One Management group claim that Monza has nothing to be concerned about, but officials from F1’s last truly high-speed circuit are remaining sceptical.

“Amid a globalisation of grands prix, each country will inevitably be allowed to stage only one [race],” Monza boss Enrico Ferrari told Bloomberg, adding: “[And] since Rome is the capital, I’m afraid we’d lose the Grand Prix forever.”

With the green light to stage a race having been given by F1 supremo Ecclestone (albeit with no contract having yet been signed), officials from Rome’s city council will meet to consider what next steps to take with its F1 bid.

“Rome is known around the world for its history and landmarks, but we need an event that projects an image of Rome that’s not just about museums,” the city’s mayor, Gianni Alemanno, said. “We want to project a modern image and Formula One would help us do that.”

But Ecclestone has added that any deal with Rome would not necessarily scupper Monza’s prospects to remain on the F1 calendar.

“We have two events at the moment in Spain,” he said. “Let’s wait and see. It’s still early days.”

[Original image via Sutton Images]