Bernie Ecclestone has called Melbourne Mayor Robert Doyle’s bluff, after the figure suggested it was time to cancel the contract between his city and the F1 rights holder.
Doyle stated earlier last week that the race was costing the city too much money, an estimated £45 million (A$70m), and that it should be dropped once the contract expires in 2015.
Ecclestone has hit back at these claims and has assured the mayor that he’d be more than happy to cancel the event earlier than planned.
“If he wishes to cease having the event in Melbourne, I’m happy to discuss it with him,” Mr Ecclestone told Radio 3AW’.
“I bet I will be dealing with these things longer than he’s going to be mayor of Melbourne,” added the 80-year-old.
He also agreed with Doyle’s assessment of him as ‘cranky’.
“If the mayor thinks I’m cranky, I can probably help him by proving it.
“If he’s not happy with the event in Australia, in that he wants to cancel the contract, we’d be happy to talk to him about that,” he concluded.
