Melbourne goverment should stop complaining about F1 contract
Melbourne Skyline with Sergio Pérez (Sauber)
Bernie Ecclestone has hit back at the latest controversy surrounding the cost of Melbourne's annual grand prix.
After reportedly seeing secret documents, local media this week revealed for the first time that the government pays a more than $30 million race fee to the sport, which increases by 5 per cent every year until the end of the contract in 2015.
Tourism minister Louise Asher said those figures are "too high".
F1 chief executive Ecclestone hit back on local 3AW radio: "Maybe it's not a true figure.
"It (paying) is up to them, isn't it? I can't make them sign a contract, they do it of their own free will. (But) they shouldn't complain after they sign."
Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief executive Andrew Westacott commented: "Melburnians have got to realise major events don't grow on trees.
"They cost a lot of money to stage," he told the Herald Sun.
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And we (Melbourne) need an event like this for tourism. We try to pride ourselves on being the sports capital of Australia yet we want to get rid of a world sport. It is very annoying around this time every year the government makes a fuss about it. The reason why it's costing too much now is because the government have to recoup their massive losses on this new public transport ticketing system. I'd rather be paying taxes to fund the F1 than failed schemes that the government can't then fix.
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