Damian maintains Monza Hopes

Automobile Club d’Italia president Angelo Sticchi Damian claims a renewed deal for Monza to host the Italian Grand Prix is not close.

The 2019 Formula 1 season will see Monza’s current contract come to a close and talks of have been ongoing with Liberty Media to ensure a race will take place at the track beyond this year.

However, the two parties are currently poles apart, with Liberty Media looking to pick up around 122 million euros for a new five-year deal, but Automobile Club d’Italia appear to be unwilling to meet those monetary demands.

Despite the situation looking bleak, Damian insists they remain hopeful of keeping Monza on the F1 calendar. “Renewal is far away but we are confident that a solution can be found in the interests of all,” Damiani told Corriere della Sera.

“Monza is keen to host F1, so for F1 it is important to have Monza. For the 2019 edition we will pay 24 million dollars (20m euros), a very high price.

“We want to continue, but only with an economically sustainable framework. We cannot put ACI’s budget at risk.”