Evangelos Floratos, the man behind a new Formula 1 circuit in Greece, claims that hosting an actual Grand Prix is not his main aim. He stresses that the privately-run facility must be up to F1 specification in order to stage test sessions at the venue.
Floratos is hoping to start construction on a circuit near the Greek port of Patras, believing a successful company would be able to run the project.
“In other countries, the idea has been for the government to run the circuit, but that doesn’t make sense,” he told Reuters.
“This would be a private sector project; we do not expect subsidiaries for it. Also, we are not aiming for a Formula 1 race – that is not our main goal. In fact, we are currently unwilling to pay for a place on the F1 calendar. That might be something for later.
“Our goal is to build a circuit that can be used 365 days a year and make a good contribution to the local economy. Additionally, we could rent out the circuit to F1 teams so they would be able to test here. The weather is very good, we are easily accessible to the Italian teams and we would compete well with other European circuits.”
Floratos has the required funding for the project, which to build would cost an estimated 95 million euros (£76m). The Greek government will make a decision next Thursday.
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