Mateschitz not ruling out Austria GP return

Dietrich Mateschitz, the billionaire owner of the energy drink Red Bull, is not ruling out a future on the F1 calendar for his native Austria.

Earlier, the former Austrian grand prix venue A1-Ring - now refurbished and renamed ’Red Bull Ring’ - was touted for the twentieth race date on the 2013 schedule.

But Bernie Ecclestone ruled out the venue in Spielberg, a city with a population of about 5,000, on the basis that the local hotel infrastructure would not be able to cope.

But Mateschitz is quoted by Speed Week: "There is much in favour of a grand prix in Spielberg.

"Many conditions and factors could justify it," he added, "but whether it will ever happen again falls into the realm of speculation, and that’s something this company doesn’t do."

The Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso team owner, however, sounds serious about his grand prix aspirations, insisting that if he ever agrees a deal, it would have to be for "at least three to five years".