No French Grand Prix revival in 2011
Mar.10 (GMM) France is not on this year’s F1 calendar and the situation is unlikely to change in 2011.
That is the admission of Nicolas Deschaux, president of the country’s motor racing sanctioning body FFSA (Federation Francaise du Sport Automobile).
Following the demise of the Magny Cours event and then proposed alternative hosts, he blames French politics.
“There is a time for sponsorships of the government,” he is quoted as saying by the L’Equipe sports daily.
“When I see (Russian prime minister Vladimir) Putin announcing the support of (Vitaly) Petrov with Lada, I see the gap is huge compared to what happens in France.
“The (French) government has a view on this subject that is distorted by electoral considerations under the heading of the environment,” Deschaux added.
He said Magny Cours, Paul Ricard, and the Sarcelles project are the three possible venues for a reinstated French grand prix.
“I am awaiting clarification of the financial feasibility of Sarcelles,” said Deschaux, who also said he is in “very regular contact” with FIA president Jean Todt.
“But I cannot predict the year of the next grand prix of France. It would be unrealistic to think it will be 2011,” he added.
The government of France is weak, with a weak leader. They are under the thumb of the environMENTALists who think nothing of flying to the Amazon to hug a tree, while the 747 they fly in uses 243,000 litres of fuel, which is nearly as much as all the F1 teams use in an entire year of racing put together.
France is adopting the stance of a country from the past, they are no longer a progressive, forward thinking country.