Channel 5 an option for F1 coverage, says Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone has said that he would approach Channel 5 if the BBC decided to abandon its coverage of Formula One.

The BBC's current contract to show F1 racing on TV and online, believed to cost £30m annually, expires at the end of the 2012 season, and there is speculation that the Corporation will not renew because of budget cuts or may even pull out early.