Indian grand prix boss Mark Hughes has quit, the promoters of this October’s inaugural event have confirmed.
Hughes, formerly involved with the F1 race in Bahrain, was in charge of the promoter Jaypee group’s project, which has a ten-year contract to host the event on a bespoke circuit currently under construction near Delhi.

An AFP media report on Monday said Hughes resigned last month for “personal reasons”.

A Jaypee spokesman said Hughes has been replaced by Azhar Ghazili, who formerly worked as an organiser for the formula one race in Malaysia.

“Mr Ghazali is a very capable man and he’s more than making up for Mr Hughes’s absence,” the spokesman added.

Hughes said he is now working with the organisers of the Abu Dhabi grand prix at Yas Marina, clarifying that he is “still closely associated with Jaypee” and “still advising them on the upcoming Indian grand prix”.

The Jaypee spokesman said the FIA is expected to homologate the new Jaypee Group Circuit in “July-August”.

Barely a month after he collected the FIA prize for the best promoter of 2010, the Korean grand prix’s Yung Cho Chung has been ousted.
During a board meeting on Friday, the inaugural event’s chief organiser was accused of lax management and dismissed, the Yonhap news agency revealed.

F1 insiders were surprised in December when Korea was awarded the prize for the best event of last year, following late construction of the Yeongham circuit and widespread tales of sub-standard utilities and accommodation.

Yonhap reported that two other senior executives were also fired during the emergency shareholders meeting of Korea Auto Valley Operation (KAVO).

Park Won-Hwa, the former South Korean ambassador to Switzerland, has reportedly been named Chung’s replacement.

Promoter KAVO, a joint public and private venture, was not available for comment.

South Korea’s race contract extends for at least six more years but KAVO launched an investigation after the inaugural event last October when flaws in the organisation became apparent.

“Investors felt that KAVO’s management under Chung couldn’t guarantee success this year,” an unnamed official said on Friday.

25 August has been earmarked as the debut race date for the Rome grand prix in 2013.
That is the claim of organiser Maurizio Flammini, who insists that despite speculation to the contrary, everything is on schedule for the inaugural event in the EUR district.

“All the procedures are fully in line with the time needed to organise the grand prix,” he told the Rome daily Il Tempo.

Flammini said Italy’s sanctioning bodies have “expressed interest” in the event, and once Roman city authorities approve the project he will “formalise the request to the FIA”.

Ultimately, however, “the one who decides is Bernie Ecclestone”, he insisted.

“I have read that for nearly two years the name Formula 1 Gran Premio di Roma has been registered by (him),” Flammini added.

After expressing doubts about the inaugural event less than two weeks ago, Bernie Ecclestone now insists the Korean grand prix “is on”.

The FIA’s Charlie Whiting is due to tour the Yeongam venue the day after Sunday’s Japanese grand prix, but F1 chief executive Ecclestone said the circuit “will pass the inspection” and host the race in two weeks.

“They had problems but they have done wonders in the last few weeks,” the Briton, who is not in Japan this weekend, is quoted by the Daily Express.

“I’ve been in touch, I’ve seen photographs and the top layer of the track has been laid.  They will pass the inspection,” added Ecclestone.

The newspaper report, however, said many of the circuit’s buildings and spectator facilities will not be finished.

Ecclestone continued: “Despite all the doom stories, I think people will be pleasantly surprised.

“I will be there, the world will be watching and we will have a great race — and it is on, end of story,” he said.

Korea’s new formula one circuit is almost complete, an official of the Yeongam venue has revealed.

Speculation has dogged the inaugural event due to construction delays and an unusually late FIA inspection scheduled for the day after Sunday’s Japanese grand prix — just 11 days prior to opening practice in Korea.

But race organiser KAVO’s communication boss Kim Jae-ho has revealed to the Korea Times newspaper that construction “is now 98 to 99 per cent complete”.

The last crucial element is the top layer of surface asphalt, with other less important things likely to go unfinished.

“The inspection team may put first priority on safety and appropriateness of the race track ahead of other factors such as cleanliness and makeshift stands,” Kim admitted.

Work on the final surface layer began on Tuesday and will take six days — exactly the time available until Charlie Whiting arrives at the venue direct from Suzuka.

“Before the inspection the only thing left to do is working on the surface of the track,” Kim confirmed.

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone said two weeks ago that allowing Korea to miss its original inspection date is “quite dangerous”, but the newspaper report said some other circuits have been in the same situation.

“We also tried to keep the date,” Kim explained.

“For us, the toughest factor was weather.  It rained too much.  It was totally different from past seasons.

“Frankly speaking, we (Korea) have little experience in building race tracks.  However, despite the postponed construction, the track and venue will provide the perfect circumstances for the race,” he promised.

Bernie Ecclestone on Sunday insisted next month’s Korean grand prix will go ahead.

It has emerged that despite September 21 being the originally belated date for the Yeongam circuit’s final inspection, the FIA is not now expected to sign off the track until next week or even later.

A South Korean delegation is in Singapore this weekend, triggering the latest round of paddock rumours about whether the race will take place — including talk of a looming typhoon.

“We’re happy with the circuit at the moment,” F1 chief executive Ecclestone told the Korea Herald newspaper from Singapore.

He played down the rumours that the track will not be ready.

“I don’t take a lot of notice of rumours,” said the Briton, explaining the reasons for the delayed inspection.

“We waited for an obvious reason, because the weather’s been bad.  The federation (FIA) seems very happy with what’s happened, with everything that will happen,” he added.

Ecclestone also denied suggestions that FIA rules will prevent Korea from holding a race in 2011 if the inspection does not go well.

“We signed a contract,” he said.  “I can’t discuss this (outcome), because it’s going to happen.”

Ecclestone admitted that he does not expect a big crowd for October’s inaugural event.

“People are reading complete rubbish in papers that it is not going to happen, so I don’t estimate a big, big crowd,” explained the 79-year-old.