It seems that the organisers at Shanghai are having second thoughts about renewing their contract after it expires in 2010. That does not surprise me, that is what happens when you organise races, or anything else, for the wrong reasons.

The British government pumped £750 million into the Millennium Dome, which was a farce. The millennium was only an arbitrary number among the billions of years that Earth has existed. Sure, it was a good excuse to throw a party, but any excuse to throw a party is okay by me. They could not even get the date right, the third Millennium, by current counting, began in 2001, but they were mesmerised by a number.

Shanghai was competing with Beijing for overseas investment. Beijing had secured the Olympic Games. but Shanghai could steal an advantage by holding a Formula One race. It was the first high-profile international sporting event to be held in modern China. The facility is reported to have cost US$220 million, but that is small change compared to hosting the Olympics. London is hosting the Games in 2012 and, at the rate costs are escalating, we may have to sell Wales.

Shanghai became the first Chinese venue on the international sporting scene and gained much prestige, face, thereby. This year the GP had been forgotten. The Olympics had passed, there was no longer any reason why Shanghai needed an international event. Besides, China is feeling the effects of the worldwide economic downturn since its growth has been led by exports.

There is no reason why Shanghai should have attracted a full house, there cannot be a popular fanbase in China. It may come, but it will take time. The first couple of races at Shanghai had a curiosity value, as a spectacle, but there is not yet any large local interest in motor racing.

For any sport to mean anything, it has to grow from within. The NFL is trying to promote gridiron 'football' (no feet, no ball) in Europe, but it will never catch on. Football, The Beautiful Game, grew from places, from clubs formed at a place of work or church. I support Arsenal, not because it is the most glamorous club on the planet, though it is, but because I come from that part of London and was four years-old when I first saw them play.

Editor Chris Balfe and I have never fallen out over football even though he supports the Enemy and I know why they style themselves 'Hotspur' and he does not, and I am not going to tell him until he begs. (But I do know, think Shakespeare - Ed) We each support our birth-team and we accept that we cannot help that. We unite in our disdain of those who merely follow fashion and have to buy the latest shirts. NFL will not succeed because it will not have grown from within and, besides, it is a really crap game.

It is not yet certain that Shanghai will fall from the calendar, perhaps it is a negotiating ploy in which case the Chinese side will be disappointed. Formula One needs only races and it is clear that the only safe venues are Monte Carlo and Monza, and Monza is safe only while Ferrari is involved.

People say that the sport must have a presence in countries like China and India, but that is nonsense. A sport which is organised for television coverage does not have to be anywhere in particular, as long as you can beam pictures. Long ago, television became more important than fans turning up on the day. It was more than 25 years ago when sponsors were able to make block bookings, and bag the best spots, before tickets went on sale to the likes of you and me.

Singapore had a floodlit race to fit in with TV schedules in the Northern Hemisphere. It was a street circuit, but you would not have known it because all the features that make a street circuit special, the streets and buildings, were in darkness. On television, it could have been anywhere.