First held in 1921, held in succession since 1950, and only moved once (to Imola, in 1980), the Italian Grand Prix at Monza is an institution to itself, a center of pride for Italian motorsports, an iconic race in the world of Formula One, and, if the rumors are to be believed, is in danger of being cast aside for Sin City. As of right now, Las Vegas has a contract to host a Formula One Grand Prix, making it the second location in recent years to have one after Austin, Texas. But in an interview with The Daily Mail, Ecclestone dropped a hint that isn’t going to sit well with fans of Monza and the Italian Grand Prix:

“Monza has got a contract for this year so it is going to go ahead. Next year is the question mark. I don’t think we have to have an Italian Grand Prix. Somebody once told me a funny thing that you couldn’t have Formula 1 without a race in France. But we do.”

Something to consider, Ecclestone: the history of the track and what the race means to everyone who pays attention to it. While Ecclestone doesn’t seem bothered one way or another…hey, as long as dollars roll in, he probably doesn’t care one way or another…to fans of the Grand Prix, supporters of Monza, and Italian motorsports fans, this is nothing more than a threat to rip the racing series our of their backyard. There was no issue in shutting down racing at Magny-Coors in France in 2008, and Ecclestone’s plans literally go along with how he is feeling that day. The drivers aren’t pleased about the move, either…last year, Sebastian Vettel blasted the idea of losing the race, saying, “If you take Monza away from the calendar for any shitty money reasons, you are basically ripping our hearts out.” Expecting generosity isn’t a wise move, and if the F1 head honcho says go, then the Italian Grand Prix will be cast aside. Anyone want to take bets on how long it takes Ferrari to weigh in on this issue?