This will never happen. It's absolutely idiotic and is the reflection of our current imbecile in chief. As this isn't the politics section I'll try to keep my comments about the president limited to the sentence above. No guarantees. Here are some facts: 1.) Whatever little money for F1 is in Brazil is in São Paulo, where the only race track appropriate for F1's ridiculous demands is located in all of South America (i believe). The current contract expires in 2020, and is held by a company part-owned by a certain Bernard Ecclestone. 2.) Rio de Janeiro (the city) is broke. Rio de Janeiro (the state) is broker. Brazil the country is facing a huge financial crisis, and the federal government is pushing for reform simply in order to reduce the growing deficit. Education, healthcare, public safety and several other crucial governmental responsibilities are in complete disarray, and in desperate need for funding. 3.) The proposed area for the new Rio de Janeiro race track is currently a protected natural reserve, and there is a current legal proceeding which impedes any kind of public proposition for the construction of a race track in the Deodoro area without at least an official study for environmental impact of the proposed construction site, which has not been carried out. 4.) The president with a small p has publically declared the racetrack will come at no cost to the taxpayer. Furthermore, he seems fond to say that Formula 1 will build the track. As we all know (except for him and his cronies), Formula One does not build tracks. The proposed cost for an F1 track in Deodoro, last time it was publically discussed, was around R$850 million (divide by 4 and you get the cost in dollars). Let's call it R$1 billion, as all of you who have lived through construction projects know that proposed costs are never real costs. This is particularly true in deeply corrupt countries, states and cities such as Rio de Janeiro. Now think about it: which private enterprise will, in their right mind, invest R$ 1 billion in a race track for one sport, used once a year, in a broke country/state/city. How does one recoup this investment? Now let's say this will be a public project, just for laughs. Have you seen the state of the roads in Rio? How about their bicycle paths? Just for fun, search "Ciclovia Tim Maia" on Google and see what comes up. Check out current pictures of the olympic facilities built where the old Jacarepaguá circuit once lay, for an extra chuckle too. I could go on, but I don't think I need to. Does this look like a good time to fund an arena in Rio de Janeiro for a sport that brings pretty much no jobs, costs a fortune to implement, and only happens once a year? Interlagos will keep the race, if they decide they can pay for it. If not, say goodbye to F1 in Brazil. Of course, I could be wrong. With the people in charge, you never know what's going to happen, and at what cost.
Ah yes, but the opportunities for lining politician's pockets will probably outweigh common sense. It is Brasil, after all.
Yes, an interesting PS to what I wrote above is that the area they are talking about is near a military base. Jair Bolsonaro is a retired captain and has several friends in the military who I'm sure would love to dabble in real estate speculation...
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/143444/vital-city-vote-may-have-saved-interlagos-f1-place The Interlagos circuit has received a major boost in its bid to remain on the Formula 1 calendar, following claims the Brazilian Grand Prix will move to Rio de Janeiro. A crucial Sao Paulo council vote has supported the Interlagos circuit not being privately sold, as the city attempts to secure its F1 future and defeat a push to transfer the race to Rio. Earlier this month, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro claimed the country's F1 race will move to a new purpose-built circuit in Rio from next year. This was met with scepticism given the suggestion the new track would be built this year, and the fact Sao Paulo has a contract with F1 that finishes after the 2020 race. Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit has hosted the Brazilian GP continuously since 1990, has undergone development work in recent years and officials remain in negotiation with F1 bosses to extend the deal. But a desire to privatise city real estate, including the circuit, put the venue's future at risk even before the plan to take F1 to Rio instead. Crucially for Interlagos, Sao Paulo's city council approved the circuit's concession rather than committing to privatisation at a vote this week. This still needs to be approved by mayor Bruno Covas, but it is a boost for the city's chances of keeping the grand prix at Interlagos in 2020 and beyond.
So this so called 'President' supports F1 LOL - Sorry not impressed at all. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/143469/petrobras-told-to-end-mclaren-sponsor-deal-early Petrobras is seeking to end its partnership with the McLaren Formula 1 team at the request of Brazil's national government, the country's new president has claimed. McLaren announced a new technology tie-up with Petrobras at the start of 2018, to begin in '19. As well as branding on McLaren's F1 car, the Brazilian company is responsible for developing fuel and lubricants for the team. McLaren was using Petrobras transmission lubricant at the start of the 2019 and indicated other products would be ready "soon". Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has claimed that on his order, Petrobras - which is 64% owned by the government through direct and indirect means - will seek to end the deal. He claimed that Petrobras's five-year deal with McLaren was worth 782million Brazilian Real, which today is worth roughly £150m. "In 2018 Petrobras signed an advertising contract of R$782m with McLaren, valid for five years," Bolsonaro tweeted from his official account. "At the moment, the company, by decision of my government, seeks a way to terminate the contract." When approached by Autosport, a McLaren spokesperson said: "Such matters are commercially confidential and therefore we are not able to comment further." Image Unavailable, Please Login Petrobras has already cancelled one motorsport initiative by choosing to end its support of the national Seletiva de Kart competition it has backed for 20 years. Bolsonaro, a right-wing politician, assumed the Brazilian presidency at the start of 2019 and has targeted major economic and political reform. His statement regarding McLaren and Petrobras is the second time this month he has become involved in F1 affairs. Last week, he announced that the Brazilian Grand Prix would move from Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit to a new purpose-built venue in Rio de Janeiro, where he lives and held political positions prior to his presidency bid.
Petrobras severing ties with McLaren is a good idea. Not the best way to be spending their money right now. It looks bad for them to be wasting all that cash in a marketing initiative that has very little real world relatability to the Brazilian consumer today. As far as Interlagos is concerned, privatisation was a pipe dream from one of our last liberal minded businessman-turned-politician mayors, a man who left city hall two years into his four year mandate to pursue (and win) the race for state government. As is the case with many of these people here in Brazil, they run their mouths about this kind of thing before actually looking at the feasibility of what they propose. It was already going to be extremely hard to privatise Interlagos in the way they insisted, so this last vote is basically just a way to put the idea down for good. I'm glad.
