Brazil's president: Rio to host Formula One again in 2020

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro speaks during a ceremony where he signed a second decree that eases gun restrictions, during the signing ceremony at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, May 7, 2019. The decree opens Brazil’s market to guns and ammunition made outside of Brazil according to a summary of the decree. Gun owners can now buy between 1,000 -5,000 rounds of ammunition per year depending on their license, up from 50 rounds. Lower-ranking military members can now carry guns after 10 years of service. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil's president says Rio de Janeiro will host the country's Formula One race in 2020, once the city's new autodrome is ready.

President Jair Bolsonaro said Wednesday that the new race track will be built in six to seven months, once work begins.

However, Rio Motorsports, the consortium behind the project, tells The Associated Press that the timing is actually 16 to 17 months.

The race is currently held in Sao Paulo, but Bolsonaro says it has become unviable to put on there, mentioning "huge debts."

Rio last held the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1989.