One race for Spain from 2013 onwards

F1 SUPREMO Bernie Ecclestone has hinted that from the 2013 championship, there will only be one race in Spain per season.  Currently, the country holds two races per campaign, with the Spanish event in Barcelona and the Valencia Street Circuit staging the European Grand Prix.

In an interview with a Spanish radio station on Friday; Ecclestone said; “Barcelona and Valencia have agreed that the best thing is to alternate and now, we are trying to decide on the dates.”  

The dire Valencia Street Circuit looks set to alternate the Spanish event in future (F1racingfan)

Although the president of the Circuit de Catalunya, Vicente Aguilera has come out and denied a certain agreement, it is believed that negotiations are ongoing.  It would be seen as a radical solution, considering Valencia’s general unpopularity with F1 drivers, fans and journalists alike, along with the growing economic crisis that is engulfing Europe.

If the agreement goes ahead, it could see Barcelona not hosting an event on a yearly basis for the first time since 1990.  It has often been recognised as the European season opener, since Imola was dropped from the calendar six years ago. They wouldn’t be the first country to alternate in track venues.  Germany has the same policy with the Nurburgring and Hockenheim, visiting the latter in 2012.

Currently, the F1 schedule stands at 20 races, with a brand new race in the United States in November and the return of the Bahrain Grand Prix.  Ecclestone is keen to extend the season to 25 races, although this is likely to face stiff competition from the remaining members of FOTA.