Politician steps in to save Spanish GP

Sep.29 - A prominent politician has stepped in with the goal of saving the Spanish Grand Prix.

As recently as one week ago, the Barcelona circuit's newly-installed boss Maria Teixidor said she was preparing to discuss a 2021 race deal with Liberty Media.

She has suddenly stepped down, with La Vanguardia newspaper reporting that local politician Roman Tremosa has replaced her at short notice.

"We regret her decision and respect it," Tremosa said of Teixidor's sudden resignation.

"But we now have an urgent situation which is why I decided to temporarily assume the presidency of the circuit.

"We need to guarantee that the contract (negotiations) for Formula 1, which must be done in October, is successful.

"I have assumed the presidency to give stability and get out of a very strange situation," Tremosa added.

"The short-term objective is F1. We must try to close the agreement in October and after that we will reflect on the (circuit) governance model."

Tremosa said he will be assisted by other circuit officials in his talks with Liberty.

"I will lead the negotiations if appropriate, but I am not an expert on Formula 1. There are people who are more qualified than I am for that," he said.

Tremosa admits that the talks may be difficult, given the financial situation in the wake of the covid-19 crisis.

"We do not know what the situation will be next year and that forces everyone to rethink," he said.

"We will see what happens in F1, but I don't think either administration has the money of a year ago. The circumstances have changed."

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