Rome gives up on F1

‘We definitively and formally abandon the plan for a Formula One race in Rome,’ said Rome mayor Gianni Alemanno. Although Rome was intent on holding a race of the famed circuit, on January 12 the mayor received a letter from F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone saying ‘the only chance to obtain a grand prix in Rome would be to alternate with Monza.’ ‘I’m sorry I cannot complete the accord as had been foreseen,’ the F1 boss added, despite having given his support to the project in the past. The proposed race was to be in the Italian capital’s southern EUR district. According to Ecclestone, F1 teams only want a maximum of 20 races a year and a second Grand Prix in Italy would be too many.