Italian PM Matteo Renzi Tells F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone To 'Leave Monza Alone'

Italian PM Matteo Renzi "has a message" for F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone: "Leave Monza alone," according to the AP. Renzi: "That's what we're going to tell Ecclestone. Formula One doesn't rely solely on money. It's also about the (history)." No circuit "has hosted more Formula One racing than Monza, which was on the inaugural 1950 calendar and has been a mainstay ever since." But Monza organizers "have had trouble producing" the estimated €25M ($28M) per year that Ecclestone "seeks to keep the race in place." Monza organizers are prepared to pay €15M ($17M) per year "to keep the race" through '20 -- far off the €25M ($28M) that organizers in Austria and Belgium "pay for their races," according to the Gazzetta dello Sport. If Monza does not produce the cash, the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola that hosted the San Marino GP from '81-06 "could step in as a replacement." Or perhaps the two tracks "would alternate hosting the race from year to year" (AP, 9/3).