The 2012 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas has until Dec. 7 to make a deal with Formula One Management or it will be off the schedule.
FOM head Bernie Ecclestone had originally said the race organizers had to make a decision by the Brazilian Grand Prix on Nov.26; that deadline has been extended until the World Motor Sport Council meeting on Dec. 7.
“The deadline hasn’t been met, so we are still trying to make it happen,” Ecclestone told AP. “They are struggling to get the financial side sorted out.”
COTA co-founder Bob Epstein and Red McCombs said earlier this week that they were able to pay the $25 million sanction fee but wanted to negotiate other parts of the FOM contract. Epstein and COTA employee Steve Sexton are reportedly meeting with Ecclestone in London, trying to make a deal
Ecclestone said the WMS meeting is a hard deadline. “If it isn’t all signed before the World Motor Sport Council meeting, [the race] can’t happen,” he told AP.
