Organisers of last year’s European grand prix did not pay the sanctioning fee to Bernie Ecclestone.
That is the claim of Salvador Servia, the new director of Spain’s other formula one race host, the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.
"I’ve been told that Valencia have not paid the fee of last year," he told local radio RAC1.
On the other hand, he insisted that Barcelona "always pays on the day after the grand prix", therefore revealing that in 2011 it means F1’s chief executive will receive the money on 23 May.