Melbourne scoffs at Sydney Harbour Bridge bid

Melbourne officials have scoffed at reports Sydney is lining up as an alternative host of the Australian grand prix.

Reports coinciding with Albert Park's twentieth consecutive running of the formula one race this weekend suggested rival state New South Wales' premier aims to take over from Melbourne once the new contract expires in 2020.

The reports said Sydney's proposed circuit would include the world-famous Sydney Harbour Bridge.

"It must be election time in New South Wales," Victorian premier John Eren scoffed, according to local broadcaster ABC.

Indeed, at Albert Park circuit on Friday, Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Ron Walker - a famously close ally of Bernie Ecclestone - revealed that Melbourne's new 2020 contract even includes an option for five further years.

According to the local Herald Sun newspaper, Victorian premier Daniel Andrews confirmed: "There's every chance we could go five years beyond" 2020.

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Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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