Walker not interested in rival series

Australian Grand Prix chairman Ron Walker doubts that the Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC) will come to much and claimed he will stick with Formula One. GPWC, comprised of Ferrari, Renault, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, announced this week that it intends to go ahead with a new series to rival F1 from 2008.

Walker said the Australian GP has a long-term contract with Bernie Ecclestone and he has no intention of negotiating with a rival series. He believes that GPWC will find it difficult to get a license to run a new series and the teams won't be interested in non-championship races.

"We have a long-term contract with Mr Ecclestone which runs until 2010 with another five year option and I doubt that the auto manufacturers will in fact get a licence from the FIA to run this sport," Walker told a news conference on Wednesday.

"Without a licence from the FIA they just become another Indy or another cycle of motor racing which amounts to not much at all. I don't think anyone wants to take on a secondary race -- they all want a Formula One race."

Walker thinks the GPWC is just trying to put pressure on Ecclestone to agree to its terms and doubts a rival series will actually go ahead. "Frankly I can't see this getting off the ground," he remarked.

"I think there is a conspiracy between the manufacturers and the banks. They want to try and force Ecclestone to do things that he doesn't want to do. This is probably a game of cards at the moment that is intensifying."

GPWC released a statement yesterday that announced it had appointed a management company to start drawing up the commercial and operational structure for its new open wheel series.