Reuters
 
Mumbai, Nov 4: India's dream of hosting a Formula One grand prix could turn into reality in 2010, according to local motorsport officials.

Formula One commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said recently that he was in negotiations with a regional government in India to build a race track, without identifying which one.

"There has been expression of interest to Bernie from parties from Punjab/Haryana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu," Vicky Chandhok, chairman, Corporate Communications, Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, told Reuters on Tuesday.

"Potential investors have been told to look at building a multi-utility complex to combine sport and fun and keep Formula One as an incidental activity," he added.

Ecclestone is keen to expand further in Asia, with South Korea already promised a race for 2010, and has marked India as a strong candidate.

"In the next 10 years, Europe is going to become a third world economy," the Briton said two years ago. "There's no way Europe will be able to compete with China, Korea, India."

India is the third largest economy in Asia and Ecclestone in the past held talks with the then Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu to bring F1 to Hyderabad before Naidu was voted out in the regional elections.

Chandhok, whose son Karun is an up-and-coming racer and winner of this year's Asian Formula Renault V6 championship, said by the end of 2006 the Formula One management will decide on one of the Indian states depending on their funding criteria.

Only one Indian driver has competed in Formula One, with Narain Karthikeyan racing for Jordan in 2005. He is now a Williams test driver.