Jerez may cease to be F1 test venue
The southern circuit, and other Spanish venues including Barcelona and Valencia, is a favorite location for F1 test teams, mainly due to the country's temperate climate.
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| Kimi Raikkonen testing at Jerez last winter |
F1 testing is therefore a source of income for these circuits, with the average rental per team amounting to about 7000 euros per day.
Jerez alone hosted 22 days of testing in 2008. Of the 63 days of testing this year, 47 of them were in Spain.
"Jerez is the preferred circuit of the F1 teams and many efforts on our part have been applied in this area.
"At the moment it is really difficult. So far we only have eight days of testing confirmed for next year," Jerez circuit director Juan Alvarez told the Spanish sports daily Marca.
"We are approved with formula one until 2011 but after that we'll have to see. It is too early to say right now but it does not look very good.
"I think if the situation stays the same, we will have to think seriously. I don't know if we will be interested to continue with the tests because it costs too much.
"If we get 20 days it is profitable, but seven or eight …?"