Abu Dhabi Grand Prix chiefs are hoping that the FIA will approve a late calendar change in Friday's World Motor Sport Council meeting, AUTOSPORT reports, so their race becomes the season finale once again.
The Yas Marina race is currently penciled in to take place on Oct. 31 next year, with the Brazilian Grand Prix having been handed the final date on the calendar on Nov. 14. However, those slots are open to change if the promoters of both events agree. Discussions have been ongoing about the matter, and Yas Marina's CEO Richard Cregan said he was hopeful that his event would round off the season once again.
"We will know more later this week," he said at the Motor Sport Business Forum in Monaco on Wednesday. "The final meeting is this week and we will know after that where we are on the calendar.
"Fingers crossed we will get the last race, but I don't know what the situation will be. I think that either way we are going to be happy. We want to make sure that we do the grand prix equally as good as we did this year, and we have a lot of work to do to make sure that happens. That will be our focus. If we are the last race then fantastic, if not, it will still be fantastic."
The Formula 1 Commission, made up of team principals and other representatives from the sport, is due to meet on Thursday – with the FIA World Council ratifying decisions regarding F1 in 2010 on the following day. At the Business Forum, Cregan said that Abu Dhabi was delighted with how its inaugural event went last month – but conceded that more work was needed for next year.
"I think it was a great grand prix," he said. "It did everything we expected it to – and it helped put Abu Dhabi on the world map.
"There are a lot of things that we know we have to improve for next year, but a lot of them are operational issues. We have a lot of work to do, but it is nice to be in a situation where we can look at all the other international circuits around the world, and what they have done to make their venue a reality."