'London GP will not happen in foreseeable future'

A respected F1 correspondent has slammed as "nonsense" suggestions the sport is only a small step from a London street race. The story lit up global headlines this week when F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone was asked by ITV News London if a grand prix in the British capital is a possibility.

"The answer is that if it can be done, then yes, we'd love to do it," the 85-year-old answered. "There is a small technical issue, who is going to pay for it, but apart from that I can't see any dramas," Ecclestone answered. F1 correspondents who know the diminutive Briton better, however, dismissed the quote entirely on the basis that Ecclestone often simply toys with some questioners.

"Ecclestone's quote had one such obvious hole that it can be discarded even more readily than would normally be the case," said the Telegraph's respected F1 correspondent Daniel Johnson. "It almost sounded like he was joking. It's fair to say who is going to spend tens of millions of pounds - and the rest - on the race is more than a small technical issue," he added. "London will not happen in the foreseeable future." (GMM)