Mar.17 (GMM) Melbourne officials will discover later this year if the country stands a chance of retaining the grand prix at Albert Park beyond the looming expiry of its contract.
Race bosses and F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone are at odds over a new deal, with the Australian chiefs recently ruling out meeting Ecclestone's demands for a night race.Premier John Brumby, in charge of the promoting Victorian state government, said at the weekend that he expects to find out about the event's future from Ecclestone later this year."I expect that by the spring we will have a firm decision in relation to the future of the grand prix," he said.Organisers have offered to compromise on the night race demand with a 5pm twilight start in 2009, but Ecclestone and grand prix boss Ron Walker did not discuss the issue at the weekend because the F1 supremo did not make the trip from London to Australia for the 2008 opener.Interestingly, however, Walker - who said he spoke on the phone to Ecclestone on Sunday - told the local newspaper The Age that there might even be room to manoeuvre on the 5pm proposal."We're not far off a compromise," he said.
