Patronise F1

The marginally under-threat Australian Grand Prix will remain at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne if it successfully secures an extended deal to remain a part of the Formula One schedule, according to a Melbourne official.

The future of the Australian race has been up for debate over the last few months, after comments from Melbourne's mayor over the costs of the race threw the future of the GP into doubt.

Australian officials still appear to be behind the bid to keep hold of their slot on the F1 calendar at the end of the current deal in 2015, and recently Australian GP chairman Ron Walker suggested the race could move to a new facility in the Avalon area of the city in future.

But on Monday, Melbourne's major events minister Louise Asher told an almost-certainly thrilling parliamentary budget hearing that there were no plans to move the race away from Albert Park.

"The grand prix is going to stay at Albert Park," Asher bellowed defiantly, according to quotes in the local Melbourne media.

"One of the reasons the branding of Melbourne has been so successful is that the grand prix is at Albert Park."

Asher also suggested that the GP organisers are willing to "play hardball" with Bernie Ecclestone over the future of the race, despite the FOM oligarch casually suggesting that F1 would leave Australia if the organisers no longer wanted to pay for the race.

"When we come to negotiate we will play hardball," she grinned, "I think taxpayers could get a better deal if the contract had less in it for my good friend Mr Ecclestone and more in it for Victorian taxpayers.

"I would love nothing more to have the grand prix stay on a contract that was fabulous value for taxpayers - the issue is whether I can deliver that."

The Australian Grand Prix has been held at the Albert Park track since 1996, when it switched to the temporary venue from the Adelaide street circuit.

Traditionally, the race has been F1's season opener, but recently lost that crown to the Bahrain race. However, Melbourne opened the 2011 season after the Bahrain GP was postponed.