Melbourne set to lose F1 Grand Prix

Formula One head Bernie Eccelstone has warned that Melbourne could lose the event to Russia, India or Korea unless it was run at night so European audiences could see it live during their daytime.

 "The only way the race could stay in Melbourne, or anywhere else in Australia, is if it is staged during the night so that the public in Europe can watch it," Ecclestone reportedly told Britain's The Mail On Sunday.

 Chief organiser Ron Walker said that in a compromise, he would move next year's race to a starting time of 5 pm (0600 GMT) in the hope of placating Ecclestone.

 "All this can be achieved without any additional infrastructure costs," Walker told reporters as he added that lighting the track would be impractical.

 Victorian state government spokeswoman Vanessa Schulze said the state government "wants to continue holding the event in Melbourne; however, it is not prepared to do so at any cost."

   Schulze said the "future of the Formula One Grand Prix beyond 2010 will be considered with regards to whether the event continues to be good for Victoria and delivers value for money."