A plan to move Australia's Formula One Grand Prix to Sydney and run it over the city's famous harbor bridge is "ill-advised", Australian Grand Prix corporation chief Ron Walker said on Friday.
New South Wales (NSW) premier Mike Baird floated the idea to take the Australian leg of the championship as part of his bid to be re-elected at the state election on March 28, reports Xinhua.
While Walker said Sydney would be a great city for a race, it could not happen for many years.
"I think Baird is probably a very bright politician and a very honest man but his team of advisors have advised him very wrongly," he told the ABC on Friday.
"We have a contract with (Formula 1 supremo Bernie) Ecclestone until 2020 and we have another five-year option. So it's a long time before Sydney could even think about it."
It was reported on Friday that Baird was interested in hosting the race for three years, at a cost of $135 millions.
A proposed five-kilometer course would include the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge.
The central business district would need to be closed, as would the 1.1-kilometer bridge which is used by 160,000 vehicles each day.
"I want the Formula One to come to Sydney, because no other city in the world could provide a more spectacular backdrop for this event," Baird said on Thursday.
Victoria's sports minister John Eren laughed off the suggestion Sydney could present the Australian leg better than Melbourne.
"All of the competitors, whatever sport it may be, are delighted to come to Melbourne and I'm not sure that's the same for Sydney," Eren said.
"It's a very congested place. It obviously has its issues in terms of infrastructure."
