F1: Italian GP boss in a ‘hurry’ for F1 contract talks

(GMM) Italian GP chief Angelo Sticchi Damiani says he is in a “hurry” to ink a new Formula 1 race deal with Liberty Media.

With the highly popular Dutch GP at Zandvoort facing the prospect of having to annually alternate its calendar spot, it is clear that even the historic venue at Monza is in doubt for the future.

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“The future is in our hands,” Damiani, president of the Italian automobile club Aci, is quoted by Italy’s Autosprint ahead of this weekend’s F1 race at Monza.

“We must be all together to guarantee an extension of the contract with Liberty Media that expires in 2025,” he said. “And under conditions that are sustainable.

“And we must do it quickly.”

It is already well known that F1 and Liberty are demanding key changes at the more than 100-year-old Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.

“Monza is 100 years old and we are happy to be able to contribute so that the story continues,” Sticchi Damiani said.

“We are in a concretely advanced stage for the works of the underpasses and the resurfacing of the circuit. The commitment we made for 2024 will be met in time.

“By mid-October we will receive offers from companies and work could begin in November,” he revealed. “We are also working towards the approval of other things we intend to do, such as replacing the grandstands and the recovery of the high-speed track.”

And while the current race contract still has some time to run, Sticchi Damiani insisted that he wants talks with Liberty Media to begin urgently.

“We are in a hurry,” he admitted.

“I have to sit down at the table with Liberty Media as soon as possible. We are two years from the expiry of the contract, but the discussions must begin two years earlier.”