Ecclestone says Las Vegas in talks for F1 race

By Alan Baldwin

Las Vegas could host a second U.S. race on the Formula One calendar in a few years' time but a deal has yet to be agreed, the sport's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Friday.

"I am going to be talking to them (Las Vegas promoters) in another 10 minutes' (time)," Ecclestone told reporters during practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix, when asked about negotiations.

"It’s possible that there could be an event there," added the 85-year-old Briton.

Asked when the race in the desert resort might happen, he replied: "In a couple of years I suppose. We’d keep Austin and have another race."

The Formula One calendar currently has a record 21 races, with Azerbaijan's Baku street circuit due to debut in June, and Ecclestone has said that is probably the limit.

Las Vegas hosted two Formula One grands prix in 1981 and 1982, with the track laid out in the parking lot of the Caesars Palace hotel and casino.

The purpose-built Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, is the only U.S. race on the current calendar that includes Montreal and Mexico City as the two other venues in North America.

Formula One has long sought a second race in the United States, a key market for sponsors and car manufacturers, with New Jersey listed on the provisional 2014 calendar for an event that never happened due to funding problems.

(Editing by Ed Osmond)