Flavio Briatore: 'Bernie Ecclestone must be paid for new Monza deal'

Flavio Briatore has warned organisers of the Italian Grand Prix not to play hardball with Bernie Ecclestone.

As negotiations over a new deal for Monza drag on, regional Lombardy president Roberto Maroni warned last week that "there can be no Formula 1 without Monza".

"I think Maroni's right," Briatore told Italian radio Rai Gr Parlamento. "That the Italian Grand Prix remaining at Monza is 90%, as long as the (Italian automobile club) Aci pays Ecclestone's price.

"There is still an important difference. Bernie is not interested in who pays him, but that he is paid."

Monza has hosted every Italian Grand Prix since 1950 apart from Imola's staging in 1980.