Ecclestone: It's absolutely fantastic

16/11/2012

As Formula One prepares to welcome the United States back to the fold, Bernie Ecclestone has admitted his total delight with the latest addition to the schedule, the Circuit of the Americas.

"They've done a super job, I couldn't ask for anything better. It's absolutely fantastic," he said on arriving at the facility, according to the Daily Telegraph.

"Everybody seems happy, although I had a complaint about the weather with it not being as hot as they'd hoped, but otherwise everything's good, no complaints," he added.

Having enjoyed a rocky relationship with the sport, not least some of the previous 'circuits' used, and not forgetting the debacle of 2005, the F1 supremo is aware that this is make or break time for the relationship.

"America can probably last without Formula One, and Formula One can probably last without America, but it's good we're here," he said. "We need to have 10 races like in Europe, same population, same size, but the most we'll ever have is two, maybe three," added Ecclestone. But this should be a success."

While Hermann Tilke might be credited with the final design, much of the creative thinking behind the circuit belongs to Tavo Hellmund, who has known Ecclestone all his life. While the Mexican has little involvement with COTA these days, many believe he could soon be welcoming the sport to his own country, a belief fuelled by the presence of Sergio Perez and possibly Esteban Gutierrez.

Ecclestone admits that the sport could soon be heading south of the border. "I told them 'This is what you have to build, and then we're in business'," she said. "We're definitely not going back to the old circuit. If they build something like this then it will be super."