Although, it was recently announced that F1 Grand Prix schedule is likely to be expanded to 20 races in the forthocming years, it now considered that apart form F1 teams oppositions, there are furthermore significant issues that should be ressolved consernming the Rome Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi.Specifically, Rome chances of hosting a grand prix have been dealt a critical blow after a letter from Bernie Ecclestone to the city's mayor was leaked by Italian newspaper La Repubblica. In his letter, Ecclestone wrote to mayor Gianni Alemanno explaining that one race per country is enough and Monza has precedence over Rome. With 20 races on the calendar for 2011, he reportedly wrote that F1 is concentrating on expanding into new countries and not on second races in existing territories.
Moreover, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through IOC executive director Gilbert Felli confirmed that if construction of the F1 facilities puts the games at risk, The IOC will force the delay of the inaugural Russian Grand Prix for a year if it threatens to interrupt plans for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
"It's something we are really looking carefully at," he is quoted by the Associated Press. It is good to have an F1 race in Russia and Sochi in particular, but we won't want to have the facility built for the GP to put the construction or preparation of the games at risk. If the IOC decides it is not feasible, we could stop and postpone it until 2015. The IOC will make that decision."
