FIA president Jean Todt and Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone have both unanimously backed keeping the sport in Australia.
Todt is adamant that the Australian Grand Prix is ‘among the best on the calendar.’
“I think it is important to have one race in Australia because Australia is among the biggest nations in the world,” Todt said.
“Australia has been doing a great job together with people from CAMS. They have put Australia among the best grands prix in the season.”
Ecclestone was even more supportive, despite comments earlier in the year which claimed he would ‘happily discuss cancelling the event.’
“Australia is just as important to us as Monaco and has been for an awful long time, so we hate to think that we were going to lose Australia,” he told The Herald Sun.
“We have been together a long time and it’s like one of those long marriages; it would be bad to end in divorce,” he said. “But if the other partner wishes, we wouldn’t start fighting.
“In the case of Melbourne, if the product is too expensive for them then we understand that. And when the contract comes to an end, there is no need to renew it.
“We wouldn’t force somebody to buy something they don’t want.”
