NEW DELHI: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone yesterday brushed aside speculation that he was retiring any time soon, saying he enjoyed being part of the high-speed action.
Ecclestone, who turned 82 yesterday, has been in charge of the sport since the 1980s but there has recently been talk of him stepping down once the F1 is floated on the Singapore stock exchange, likely by next year.
“Retirement? Not at the moment,” Ecclestone told reporters ahead of Sunday’s Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit.
“I still feel good. When I feel I can’t deliver any longer, I’ll say ‘we’ll move on’.”
Ecclestone said visiting places like India and striking new deals were the things that kept him going, adding that he was planning to resurrect the French Grand Prix next year.
“When you come to places like this and see what it was and you convince people to have a race and build a track, in the end you get a lot of satisfaction.”
His comments have been lapped up by the press, given the billions that ride on his F1 decisions.
He stated that the French Grand Prix could return to the F1 calendar as early as next year -- the first time the country will have held the race since 2008.
“As far as I am concerned, yes. We are ready to sign. We’ve got a pen, we’re ready to sign a contract. If they are ready we can slot it in the calendar,” the F1 chief said yesterday.
The original 20-race calendar, published at the end of last month, did not include a slot for a French Grand Prix for next season. AFP
