Bernie Ecclestone has given Donington Park bosses until October 3rd to prove they are in a position to host next year's British GP or else he'll pull the plug.
Donington Park will take over the running of the British GP from next year onwards, having signed a long-term deal with Ecclestone. The track's chiefs, though, have yet to come up with the finances needed to host the race, which is scheduled for July 11th 2010.
And although Ecclestone had previously set a deadline of September 30th, the F1 supremo says he is willing to give Donington a few extra days to prove they have the necessary cash.
Asked during Thursday's LG Electronics media event hosted in Singapore whether Donington Park will be ready in time, Ecclestone said: "I honestly don't know. I hope so, but I don't know.
"Their problem is a financial one - it is them getting the money together. Everything was done and ready, and when this (financial) crisis arrived the banks pulled the plug on them.
"It (the deadline) was the end of September, but I think we may extend it a bit. By two or three days. I think we have given them until October 3."
The 78-year-old also spoke of his wish to see Formula One return to America, citing Manhattan as his preferred venue.
"We are getting there. All in different places, we will see which one comes first," he said.
"Obviously Manhattan," he said when asked for his choice for a venue for the United States GP. "I will tell when it happens if I can do it or not. We were told we couldn't do a race in Singapore."
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