Singapore does not want to host an annual Formula One grand prix anymore, F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone says.

Ecclestone’s comments come amid a significant drop in attendance, with Singapore’s race in September seeing an average of 73,000 spectators in each of the three days, down from 87,000 last year.

The inaugural race in 2008 attracted more than 100,000 spectators daily.

Ticket sales have dropped in Malaysia as well, with TV viewership the lowest this year.

Authorities and organisers of the Kuala Lumpur Grand Prix are considering halting the race after the contract ends in 2018.

“Look at what we have done for Singapore,” Ecclestone was quoted as saying by industry magazine Auto Motor und Sport.

“Yes, the Grand Prix has cost Singapore a lot of money, but we’ve also given them a lot of money.

“Singapore was suddenly more than just an airport to fly to or from somewhere. Now they believe they have reached their goal and they do not want a Grand Prix anymore,” he said.

Ecclestone, 86, is famous for outspoken media interviews during negotiations.

The Briton did not attend this year’s Singapore Grand Prix as he was held up by negotiations on F1’s takeover by US cable TV mogul John Malone’s Liberty Media .

A spokeswoman for Singapore GP, the event’s organiser in the city-state, said in an email: “We don’t comment on ongoing commercial negotiations.”

Singapore GP is a private company owned by Ong Beng Seng, one of the city-state’s richest men. The government helps with 60 percent of the cost of the organisation.