Spokeswoman denies Valencia wants to drop F1 race

An official spokesperson has played down reports that organisers of the European grand prix at Valencia are trying to offload the race contract to an alternate host.

The Catalan newspaper El Periodico said Valencia’s regional president Francisco Camps has determined that, with two years left to run on a contract, the port city cannot afford the annual fee and organisation costs.

But Consell spokesperson Paula Sanchez de Leon insists that the Valencian government "has not initiated any change" in the policy about the F1 street race.

According to Europa Press, she said the event "will continue as before".

"This is not an issue that has been dealt with in the Consell," added Sanchez de Leon.