America's Cup linked with F1

[Wizzo]

The future of the America's Cup could be linked to Formula 1 motor racing if the current holder defends successfully at the end of next month.

The Swiss billionaire, Ernesto Bertarelli, whose Alinghi syndicate holds the trophy, has been closely involved in the negotiations which would bring Formula 1 racing to Valencia for seven years on a street circuit starting in November 2008.

Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula 1 chief, was Bertarelli's guest at the America's Cup port on Thursday and, with Flavio Briatore, head of the current world championship team Renault, toured the facilities.

On the table is a proposal that, if Bertarelli wins, the cup would move to a two-year cycle, with the 33rd defence staged in July 2009, the same month as a rescheduled Valencia Formula 1 race.

The deal is fraught with conditions, not least that Bertarelli has to win, and Ecclestone also made it plain that he would deal only with the current regional president Francisco Camps.

If any of the semi-final challengers, except the home Desafio Espaņol team, were to win then it is expected that the synergy would fall apart. Although the American team head Larry Ellison could make any deal anywhere he wants, he is likely to take any defence home to San Francisco, while Team New Zealand would take the event back to Auckland and Luna Rossa home to Italy.

But the implication also is that Alinghi and its wholly owned America's Cup Management, the current America's Cup organiser, is prepared to listen to calls from the current crop of challengers to move the next event back a month to avoid the lost racing days of this year and provide better sailing conditions as they conduct their knockout trials. It also relegates the aspirations of Dubai and Athens to host the next defence.