Sao Paulo mayor claims new F1 deal

The mayor of Sao Paulo claims the city has extended its deal to host the Brazilian Grand Prix for a further seven years.

Gilberto Kassab revealed that the Interlagos circuit had secured the staging rights for the race until 2015.

The apparent deal, which has not been confirmed by Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, will also see work begin at the circuit to increase grandstand capacity by an extra 5000.

Kassab said: “A Formula One GP is one of the big sport events in the world.

“With the signing of this contract, Sao Paulo has made sure we will host the Brazilian event at least for the next eight years [including the 2008 edition].”

The Interlagos circuit first held an official Formula One race in 1973 but did not become a permanent fixture on the calendar until 1990.

This year’s race on November 2 will once again mark the final round of the season.