Prost rules-out 20-race calendar

(11-Jul-98) - Alain Prost has said it would be impossible for Formula One's
calendar to be expanded to 20-races next year - despite speculation
suggesting that this will happen.

The four-times world champion, who now runs his own team, has said believes
it would take too much organisation and reshuffling of budgets to add more
than one race to the current 16-event schedule.

"There was a meeting on Thursday with all the teams to discuss the
calendar," said Prost. "There has been a feeling gathering since
the beginning of the season that overseas Grands Prix, such as China, South
Africa and America, which are very international, good for the sponsors and
great for the image of the sport are a good thing."

"But we can't add four more races to the calendar. We can't finance
it, and it would be impossible in the timescale left to organise it. So we
have to think about how we would do it and the teams got together and
thought about it."

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