Singapore in the driving seat as it negotiates new F1 deal

SINGAPORE (Nov 23): After negotiating Singapore's current Formula One deal, Bernie Ecclestone said in 2012 the hardest thing was explaining to the authorities that "we don't race for free".

Four years on, the F1 boss appears to be frustrated again as he tries to keep one of the most glamorous races on the calendar after the contract expires in 2017, at a time when the city-state is weighing whether the event makes economic sense anymore.

With its tourism industry increasingly diversified, a stronger country brand than when it first hosted the event in 2008 and other major sporting events in the bag, Singapore seems to have the upper hand in the talks with F1.

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