SINGAPORE, Sept 26: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone said Friday he plans to hold a Grand Prix in India in 2011, a year later than first thought.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Suresh Kalmadi announced last year that he had sealed a deal to host a Grand Prix in New Delhi from 2010.

But Ecclestone, without giving a reason, told AFP it would likely happen later than that.

Asked if 2010 was still in the pipeline, he said: “It’s all going on as usual, but these things take time.

“Probably 2011 is what I want.”

India’s ambitious F1 plans were first unveiled in June last year when the IOA said it had received a letter from Ecclestone allowing the country to host a race subject to meeting certain conditions, like building a track.

Millions of Indians watch F1 on television, often with the same passion they reserve for the country’s most popular sport — cricket.—AFP