Ecclestone absent from F1 season opener

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Organizers of this weekend's Australian Grand Prix say the absence of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone from the season opener should not be read as bad news for the event.

Ecclestone will not attend the Melbourne race, but will instead be in New York to hold talks with Mayor Michael Bloomberg about a possible future race on Staten Island.

Ecclestone had expressed impatience at the local government's complaints about the cost of staging the Melbourne race, as well as the seeming impossibility of making it a night event to suit European TV audiences.

Melbourne mayor Robert Doyle said Tuesday that “it is reasonable that we have a discussion about the grand prix when the time comes, which is when the license fee is up again.”