Nurburgring talks with Ecclestone ‘positive’

Talks on Sunday about the future of the Nurburgring on the F1 calendar were “positive”.

That is the claim of Kurt Beck, who attended the German grand prix amid reports his Rhineland-Palatinate state government is no longer willing to financially back the famous circuit’s formula one race.

“The talks with Mr (Bernie) Ecclestone have been very positive,” the minister-president told Bild newspaper.  “I think German fans will see more formula one races at the Nurburgring in the future.”

Bild says the meeting with the F1 chief executive lasted more than half an hour.

“If it was up to me, I would have a ten year contract,” Briton Ecclestone said.  “I have made them a fair proposal.

“I don’t think this is the last race.  We found a solution to stay at Hockenheim,” he added.

It has been suggested that Karl Josef Schmidt, who negotiated the Hockenheim solution, wants the same deal for the Nurburgring, where the circuit pays a lower sanctioning fee but shares its ticket receipts with F1.

“I believe we will somehow find a way to agree to politically and economically viable conditions,” he is quoted by the SID news agency.

© RIF | GMM