India and Portugal in latest F1 buzz

Formula One’s Asian invasion continues with rumors that the motorsport’s supremo Bernie Ecclestone is confident one of India’s largest cities, Delhi, is the right place to host a race if F1 moves to the subcontinent. With races already confirmed for Turkey, Bahrain, Malaysia, Japan and China in the new seasons and more countries including Singapore, South Korea and now India determined to establish their own events, the number of Asian events would match the number of races in Europe.

There are also reports that the F1 scene might return to Portugal, which held races at its Estoril site from 1984 to 1997. The event was withdrawn because of overwhelming costs of upgrading the older track. Now, it seems that the small coastal town of Portimao is preparing to build a brand new circuit. The site, which is tipped to cost upwards of $250 million, will include a five-star hotel, an apartment complex and trackside technology center.

Despite its ambition, Portugal may have a tough time convincing Ecclestone to allow another European location to host F1 in an already busy schedule. Germany and Italy have each had a race cut from the calendar, while Belgium is alternating every other year. It's also been suggested that England might have to alternate with France in upcoming years. With the upcoming Asian races, the F1 calendar is simply getting too crowded but Ecclestone is determined to take F1 into new and emerging markets.