Rome ‘has F1 race deal’ – Gazzetta

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Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport claims a deal is in place for F1 to race on the streets of Rome.

It reports race organiser Maurizio Flammini has done a deal with Bernie Ecclestone. Earlier this year it emerged the venue was seeking an F1 race for 2012.

A race deal for 2012 would be consistent with F1’s growth which has seen at least one new event added per year recently: Valencia and Singapore in 2008, Abu Dhabi in 2009, South Korea next year and India in 2011.

However the race’s official site has gone blank and there’s nothing from their Twitter feed either. See below for more details on the circuit plans.

2012 Rome Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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32 comments on “Rome ‘has F1 race deal’ – Gazzetta”

  1. La gazzetta have a virtual track on their homepage.
    http://www.gazzetta.it/Motori/Formula1/20-12-2009/gp-roma-c-firma-602383796103.shtml.

    As Keith has said a provisional deal has been signed

  2. I never thought I’d say it but I’m now so sick of street circuits. It looks like an even worse circuit than Valencia and Singapore- if you’re going to race in Rome then at least base the circuit around the main landmarks rather than some faceless suburb.

    I really wish they’d bring Imola back instead. I miss that track

    1. 1 gazillion percent agreed.

      Monaco should be the only street circuit.

    2. Prisoner Monkeys
      20th December 2009, 21:35

      It’s not actually a “faceless suburb” – the place was built by Mussolini in the 1930s or 40s, and he inteded to have Rome host the World’s Fair expo there. But it never eventuated; the outbreak of war saw to that. Now it stands as a testament to Italian fascism, though most of it now used for a much more democratic function.

      1. A testament to fascism sounds like a fitting place, just a shame Max Mosely won’t be there to cut the ribbon.

        1. Prisoner Monkeys
          21st December 2009, 0:06

          Well, that’s how it started out. Now it’s alrgely used for government departments. Only about half the buildings were finished at the time; the rest weren’t completed for twenty years. A section of it was added on for the 1960 Olympic Games, and a lot of newer buildings have been constructed in the area. It’s also got a lot of “green space” – parklands and the like.

          Think of it as the forerunner to the likes of La Defense and the London Docklands, but with half a dozen different kinds of architecture.

  3. @Ned

    My thoughts exactly

  4. I just watched the video… they’ve added chicanes to all the fast turns, just to make it even worse. Now truly looks like the most hideous and laughable excuse for a circuit ever. And ftw it will be raced around marching grounds built by mussolini.

    Not good on the whole.

    1. I don’t know, Valencia is quite awful. Plus I remember Phoenix…

      1. And Las Vegas! Which reminds me…

        Top 10 worst… circuits

      2. I loved Phoenix, I thought it was a great circuit.

        1. Me too, but I lived there. It was nice to check out some action without travel.

  5. Gran Premio de Vaticano sounds better :-)

  6. Mouse_Nightshirt
    21st December 2009, 0:40

    All I can say is that the track looks painful for fans…

  7. First of all they should not rip Monza out of the calender,secondly I am not a big fan of 1 country organize two races,as Spain is not putting a good show in Valencia.

    1. I think they have repeated almost constantly that this will be a second Itlaian Grand Prix. Monza will stay.

  8. The track looks really bad.
    I add that in Italy there is a big argue, between Monza politics and the Rome government. In the Morthern Italy there is a strong politc presence of separatistic party, Leha Nord. They are always angry with Southern People and Rome establishment.
    In this case they fear the italian GP will be move from Monza to Rome, and they contest this decision.
    I think Rome GP is a very bad idea, in general. Bad circuit, bad location, bad organization (every time we organize something in Rome it is an economic disaster, a corruption triumph…as Swimming World championships, or 1990 football World Cup)…and Monza is a great track.

  9. Of course, don’t want to support Lega Nord, it’s only for Formula 1 sake! :-)

  10. I hope a Rome GP doesn’t happen as I don’t think countries should have two Grand Prix and I don’t want to loose Monza as high speed circuits such as Monza are in a minority on the calendar.

    One report I read said that the proposed circuit layout wasn’t finalised yet, so it seems that the only reason to have a Rome Grand Prix, apart from the money they are prepared to pay Ecclestone, is so F1 can have a race around a famous city like Rome not for the quality of the circuit. This seems to be the basis for suggestions in the past about a London, Paris or New York GP, which is why I am against them also.

  11. I’m against bad tracks, and Rome looks to be like that.
    And against bad locations…

  12. It’s going to be a FAIL!!! Not another ****** street circuit… come on Bernie!!

    1. Prisoner Monkeys
      21st December 2009, 22:21

      Aren’t the roads around the Colosseum cobbled and therefore inappropriate to race on?

      Formula One should not be a travelogue of famous monuments.

  13. @striay

    Do remember, this is Bernie we’re talking about. Name one half-decent venue that’s been added since he’s been the head of F1/FIA (not quite sure which, actually)…

    1. Prisoner Monkeys
      21st December 2009, 23:42

      Istanbul. Sepang.

  14. Prisoner Monkeys
    21st December 2009, 23:42

    Okay, I’ve just had a look on Google Earth, and fortuantely the circuit isn’t entirely flat.

    The main straight is the lowest point of the circuit. After the first right-hander, the cars go up a hill to the right-hand hairpin that seems to be a good twenty-five meters higher than the main straight. They’ll then come back down the hill to the point where a new section of road will have to be purpose-built, running directly under the main thoroughfare. They’ll climb again going up to that fiddly-looking bit, which is a good twenty-metre climb before its peak in front of that square building. The final section through the switchbacks rapidly descends; its peak of fifty metres (outside the square building) drops to a low point of sixteen metres above sea level in the latter part of that sweeping corner.

    So at least it’s not flat. In fact, it seems there’s only one or two places that are not going uphill or down.

  15. Surely this is an early april fools day.
    The circuit looks like an elephant!

  16. @NED

    i think the same thing what the calender needs is to get the great tracks through the 80’s and early 90’s we desperately need tracks like kyalami south Africa, Paul Ricard in France, dodington, imola, estoril, thank god circuit gilles villeneuve is back it 2010, and probably never to return is the east and west usa grand prixs it would be great, they could do laguna seca(will never happen) and the other could be Watkins glen. but then again I’m realistic enough to know none of the things I’ve said will ever come true

  17. Pedel to the Vettel
    23rd December 2009, 17:30

    pfff its not even in central Rome its at the bloody outskirts of Rome pritty much.

    if anybody thinks of going out there and has asthma be carfeul because that place is bad for car fumes and dust, my dad, sister and brother all had a hard time breathing on the 2nd-3rd day out there.

    1. Prisoner Monkeys
      24th December 2009, 5:11

      Actually, before the EUR district was created, it was known as Tre Fontane. Tre Fontane used to be the home of the Rome Grand Prix back during the Roaring Twenties. And the Via delle Tre Fontane, which will be the main straight of the new circuit, was actually a part of that circuit that was built ninety years ago. In fact, I do believe it was also the main straight in the pre-war era.

      I don’t know about you, but I’d rather take that over a race in the centre of Rome.

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