Tuesday October 22nd, 2002

By Erin Prelypchan

One of the current 17 Grand Prix tracks will be dropped from the international circuit to make way for Shanghai in 2004, Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone said today.

On Monday Ecclestone signed a deal under which Shanghai, China's largest and fastest growing city, will stage Grand Prix races for the first time from 2004 to 2010.

"We have 17 races on the calendar, and regrettably one of them will have to go to make way for Shanghai. Don't ask me which one," Ecclestone told a news conference.

Eleven Formula One Grands Prix are held in Europe. Shanghai will be the fourth Eastern destination to join the F1 calendar after Australia, Japan and Malaysia.

China has been trying to join the European-dominated Formula One club for more than a decade. It has been up against countries such as Turkey and India which are also building tracks with an eye to hosting Formula One races.

China spent more than nine years developing a circuit in the southern city of Zhuhai and was scheduled to join the F1 calendar in 1998 but the track failed to meet international standards.

Ecclestone said the same fate was unlikely for the two billion yuan ($240 million) Shanghai track, designed by Hermann Tilke, where construction began last week.

Ecclestone Guarantee

"I will guarantee we will be here in 2004, the circuit will have been finished, and it will be one of the best circuits in the world," Ecclestone said. "Hopefully Shanghai will be able to hold Formula One even after 2010."

Officials with the Shanghai circuit said they planned to hold trial events to prepare for the Grand Prix after the track was complete in March, 2004, just before the beginning of the F1 season.

Tickets, normally priced from $100 to $2,000 for Grand Prix events, would be set lower to attract more Chinese to attend, said racetrack official Yu Zhifei.

The International Automobile Federation, the sport's ruling body, hopes the Chinese Grand Prix will bring more fans to the F1 - which depends heavily on advertising - by tapping the country's massive population of 1.3 billion people.

Shanghai alone is home to 16 million.

The 5.45 kms 200,000-seat Shanghai track, which is designed in the shape of a Chinese character - 'shang', or to rise - is the latest in a series of high-profile building projects for the city.

Shanghai is building the world's first commercial train using magnetic levitation technology and plans to add the world's tallest Ferris wheel to its ultra-modern skyline.

China hopes to boost its international profile by hosting top-tier sporting events such as the ATP Tennis Masters in Shanghai next month and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Published at 08:30:45 GMT