Formula One oligarch Bernie Ecclestone has cheerily suggested that the sport will never be able to make a proper success of America, saying that the sport would struggle even with the upcoming pair of US F1 events.
The sport has been looking to 'crack America' for much of Formula One's existence, with the most recent US GP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ending in failure in 2007.From 2012, a new United States GP will be added to the Formula One schedule at a new Tilkedrome in Austin, Texas.
That race will be joined by a New Jersey GP from 2013 onwards, at a brand new street track set against the backdrop of Manhattan's skyline.
But despite the latest push from the sport to gain a foothold in the always-insular American sporting market, Ecclestone believes that even with two races a year, F1 will struggle to make it big.
He also hinted at a new South African race joining the schedule from the 2013 season.
"Formula 1 will not be big in America," he told the English language version of Al Jazeera television, "But Formula 1 will be in Russia for 2014, and in South Africa by 2013 even."
Ecclestone has talked before about the desire to return to South Africa, with a street track in Cape Town reportedly the most likely venue.
On America, he added: "We've got a maximum of two races in America and when you consider the country is as big as Europe and we've got several races in Europe, it's difficult.
"If we had a lot more races there and a lot more television it would be okay. It's a bit like the rest of America in that they want to see a profit before they start something and it's not easy to do that."
The new US race in Austin was plagued by recent doubts about its validity after disagreements over race fees, however the race remains on the finalised 2012 F1 schedule.
Also keeping its place is the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was cancelled in 2011 after political protests overwhelmed the tiny Gulf state.
And Ecclestone said that despite the still-worrying political situation in Bahrain, he was sure that the sport would be happy to return there in 2012.
"We're happy to go there if we are invited, we'll be delighted," he affirmed.
The Bahrain race is currently scheduled for April 22nd next season, the fourth round of next year's championship.
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