A1 Winner May Get Automatic Berth In F1

[jjoseph 0]

With the first-ever A1 Grand Prix barely midway through its course, its Founder, Chairman and President is already mulling an exciting time for the series.

Among these is an automatic entry for the winner into the Formula One calendar, starting possibly from 2008.

"That is the plan at the moment," Shaikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum told Gulf News at the formal announcement of the Dubai race yesterday.

"We are planning to buy a F1 team as there is this possibility of getting into the F1 scene by 2008," Shaikh Maktoum confirmed.

"We are constantly in the process of coming up with new things each year. And this being our first year, we can take a look at the future," he noted.

Diverting to the business side of the sport, Shaikh Maktoum drew a comparison between the more affordable A1 series and Formula One.

"It would take in excess of $200 million to have a new track for the F1 race along with an annual budget between $10 and $30 million," he added.

"Finally, the A1 series is a business. And I think it's affordability is one of the hallmarks."