The future of the Mexico Grand Prix has been thrown into doubt after scalding comments by the country’s new government.
Only returning to the Formula 1 calendar in 2015 after almost two decades, the event has become a real favourite and has indeed won the ‘Best Promoter’ award at the FIA gala every year since rejoining.
With only one more year on the current contract left, however, Ana Gabriela Guevara of the National Sports Commission has slammed the cost of the race as the country implements a raft of austerity measures including the selling of government-linked luxuries.
“We need to find out how we can solve this situation but it is not the intention that tax money will be released to keep this event in,” she was quoted by F1i.com.
“In Mexico, there are worse things going on as a large part of the population lives below the poverty line.
“[It was] the corruption in this country has caused the Grand Prix to return to Mexico,” Guevara stated. “A lot of bribes were paid to bring this event to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.”
Without public funds, Mexico’s race faces the same situation as Silverstone which has barely managed to keep the British Grand Prix going despite no government support.
Given how quickly the event in Mexico City has established itself, efforts will certainly be underway with Liberty Media to try and ensure it remains.