Amid France’s push to return to the F1 calendar, it appears Magny Cours is not yet out of the game.

Prime minister Francois Fillon, however, has earmarked Paul Ricard – the well-known test circuit at Le Castallet near Marseille – as the host.

But it was Magny Cours that hosted the French grand prix between 1991 and 2008.

The local Nievre department’s president Patrice Joly last week accused Fillon of “bias in favour of Le Castellet” for the 2013 deal.

He said Magny Cours has “all the facilities, infrastructure and expertise needed to organise such an event”.

Championing Magny Cours’ renewed push to host the 2013 French grand prix is Guy Ligier, the now 81-year-old Frenchman who once had his own formula one team based at the circuit.

“I am trying to lend a hand,” he confirmed to the sports daily L’Equipe.

“I have had Bernie (Ecclestone) on the phone several times, as a friend, and have asked for his advice. We talked about the hotel business around (Magny Cours).

“He said to me, ‘Guy, I know you’re in the know.’

“I have a feeling that Bernie is not going to sign anything before he knows the outcome of the presidential election.

“I’ll tell you honestly what I feel: nothing is lost for Magny Cours,” added Ligier.

Romain Grosjean has admitted he hopes France’s touted return to the F1 calendar is shown the green light.

Amid expectations he would announce a race at Paul Ricard will go ahead in 2013, French prime minister Francois Fillon instead said last Friday that talks are ongoing.

“I’m crossing my fingers that it will happen,” Lotus driver and Frenchman Grosjean told RMC Sport.

“I think the enthusiasm for motor sport (in France) has been reborn,” he added, referring to the presence on this year’s grid of three French race drivers, plus Force India reserve Jules Bianchi.

“There has been lots of positive feedback after the first two races and also the first points for Jean-Eric (Vergne).

“I hope we will have a grand prix soon enough,” added Grosjean.

Patrick Tambay, a former grand prix driver from France, believes politics can be thanked for the country’s touted return to the calendar.

“I feel that the grand prix de France broke into the presidential campaign,” he said.

“Since 2008, we hardly heard anything about it, and now it’s a hot topic. There is a strong desire to make it work.

“All that remains is to validate the decision and set a timetable,” he added.

Claude Sage, the administrator of the Le Castellet circuit, said Paul Ricard will be ready.

“The circuit is approved for formula one,” he said.

“We need to prepare the facilities for the public, in the form of temporary stands, as in Monaco. We have room to install them,” added Sage.

France’s return to the 2013 formula one calendar is not quite at the finish-line.

Many expected prime minister Francois Fillon’s visit to the Paul Ricard circuit last Friday to coincide with an announcement about the revival of the French grand prix next year.

Some think that was indeed the intention, but ultimately a couple of details were missing at the last hurdle.

The first was the identity of the host circuit that will annually alternate the race date, amid reports Belgium’s Spa Francorchamps is not yet ready or able to agree.

“The formula one management has approved the plan without indicating who would be the other country,” Fillon is quoted as saying in local reports.

Another problem is on the financial side, with Fillon admitting that – politically – there can be no direct government subsidy other than a mere “bond”.

The difference between a deal and no deal between Bernie Ecclestone and the Le Castellet organisers, then, is “about two million euros”, Fillon revealed.

“The formula one organisers’ proposal is reasonable enough,” he said, “but we have to make them remove the ‘enough’,” he added.

“Symbolically it would not be acceptable (for the government) to subsidise a grand prix,” he insisted, “as was the case in the past with Magny Cours.”

Magny Cours, the former French GP venue, reacted with shock and anger, accusing the prime minister of “bias in favour of Le Castellet”, where temporary grandstands will have to be erected to host spectators.

On the other hand, Magny Cours has “all the facilities, infrastructure and expertise needed to organise such an event”, insisted Patrice Joly, president of the conseil general of the Nievre department.

“Contrary to what you would expect from the head of government, the prime minister strives to implement a solution based on partisan considerations and personal issues away from the general interest,” he added.

New media reports have contradicted claims French PM Francois Fillon will on Friday announce the country’s 2013 return to the formula one calendar.

Le Parisien newspaper on Thursday said Fillon’s visit to the Paul Ricard circuit on Friday is to confirm the successful end to long negotiations to revive the French grand prix.

Those negotiations were for Paul Ricard to annually alternate a race date with Belgium’s fabled Spa Francorchamps.

But the French-language RMC insists that Belgium is “not ready for the alternation”.

“If France has received a contract to organise a grand prix every other year, this is not the case for the Belgian promoters, who are still waiting for the document to send to the government of Wallonia,” the report read.

RMC said the hold-up could be because Spa is having trouble paying its sanctioning fee for this year’s race date in September.

The French magazine Sport-Auto agrees, insisting that Fillon “will not announce the return of the grand prix de France on Friday”.

“The prime minister will travel to the (Paul Ricard) circuit,” an official close to Fillon is quoted as saying by AFP news agency, but Fillon “will not announce the return of the grand prix to the calendar in 2013″.

The official, however, said Bernie Ecclestone as approved “in principle” France’s presence on the calendar every other year, beginning in 2013.

But “It (the alternation) will not necessarily be with Belgium,” the report added.

In an interview to be published by the Nice-Matin newspaper on Friday, Fillon is quoted as saying a grand prix is crucial to France.

“Bernie Ecclestone has just sent us a draft contract,” said the prime minister, “which is the result of negotiations that began several months ago.

“We now have a concrete basis for discussions,” he added.

Malaysia is not yet committing its future to the formula one calendar beyond its 2015 deal.
Sepang was Hermann Tilke’s first full creation that made its grand prix debut in 1999.

But Razlan Razali, the Kuala Lumpur circuit’s chief executive, said on Wednesday he is unable to say if there will be a race in 2016.

“We can recommend all we want, but as (the) prime minister announced last year, the decision will be made by the cabinet,” he told the New Straits Times.

Sepang commissioned consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) last year to study the economic impact of the Malaysian grand prix.

“PWC advised us to have another study on this year’s event,” revealed Razali.

He also pointed some criticism at the lack of enthusiasm from some parts of the government, particularly when it comes to promoting the annual race.

“Not all ministries seem interested,” Razlan admitted.

Former FIA president Max Mosley is preparing to launch a “comeback”, according to an Italian report.

The usually authoritative 422race.com website said the 70-year-old Briton, who headed F1′s governing body for 16 years until 2009, is secretly planning with his supporters to “reduce the power” of his successor Jean Todt by proposing rules changes.

The coup will reportedly take place at the FIA’s next general assembly on 5 November, with Mosley and also Bernie Ecclestone upset about the direction taken by Todt.

“You can always expect anything from a man like him,” said the 422race.com report.

In an interview published on Tuesday by the Guardian, F1 chief executive Ecclestone enthused about Mosley’s intellect and political prowess.

He said Mosley “would have been a very good prime minister. Max would’ve been ideal. He would know how to handle things. Max had an awful lot going for him. Maybe people thought he was too clever,” added Ecclestone.

There are some interesting faces in the Singapore paddock this weekend.

One of them is Lesa Kennedy, a prominent NASCAR board member and vice chairwoman of the American series.

It is rumoured she is securing a supply of ECUs with McLaren Electronic Systems.  McLaren group chairman Ron Dennis is also in Singapore this weekend.

Kennedy also met with F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, sparking rumours NASCAR could be put on the bill for the 2012 United States grand prix in Austin.

Also spotted in the Singapore paddock was Dmitry Kozak, Russia’s deputy prime minister, who met with F1 chief executive Ecclestone.

Other notable dignitaries in Singapore are Dr Naviachandra Ramgoolam, the prime minister or Mauritius, and Jacques Regis, formerly the president of French motor racing authority FFSA.

Abu Dhabi has denied reports it is helping Bulgaria join the formula one calendar.

It emerged earlier this week that an economic cooperation agreement has been signed between the Bulgarian economy minister and the Emirates Associated Business Group, a state-owned Abu Dhabi company.

Bulgarian authorities, as well as local agencies and publications, claimed the agreement involves construction of a formula one circuit at the former air base at Dobroslavtsi, 15 kilometres from the capital Sofia.

The agreement would reportedly see Abu Dhabi pay for construction of the circuit, with the land provided by Bulgaria.

But according to the Bulgarian daily Sega, Abu Dhabi has denied the reports.

A statement also said the Emirates Associated Business Group was so disappointed with the incorrect information that it will cancel its Bulgarian investments altogether.

Sega quoted the company’s chief executive Raid Abu Hudra as saying the officials had acted so unprofessionally that he would advise others against investing in Bulgaria.

He said a mediator from the Bulgarian prime minister’s office had invited Abu Dhabi to invest in an F1 track but “We told him we would not be interested”.

Magny Cours is a potential replacement venue should the inaugural Korean grand prix fall off the 2010 calendar.

That is the rumour published in the latest edition of France’s Auto Hebdo magazine.

Last month, Bernie Ecclestone even visited the site of October’s Korean race and told the media that the October date is definitely still on.

But the uncertainty about the event has persisted, and Auto Hebdo reports that teams do not want to see the calendar shrink from the scheduled 19 races at short notice.

Magny Cours is famously not the F1 chief executive’s favourite venue, but Auto Hebdo says the idea of being a reserve track for Korea is the idea of Gilles Depeigneux, an advisor to prime minister Francois Fillon.

The stumbling blocks, however, are said to be the EUR20 million budget as well as political opposition.

(GMM)

This season start is on its way to become a real soap opera drama.  Even though, last week, Adrián Campos, angry with all that was being published hit the table with his fist assuring the Monday everything would be worked out, today the opposite was confirmed.

The Valencian is trying to save the Spanish team, but days go by without a solution to his financial difficulties –in spite of the time extension granted by Dallara until nest Wednesday-, and everything gets more and more complicated.

Even so that the agreement between the South African manager and Adrian Campos might be forgotten.

According to close sources, Tony Teixeira, has not been able to have the necessary liquidity to close the deal, thus leaving the Campos Meta 1, almost without options.  And if we say, ‘almost without options’ it is because those same sources have mentioned a possible purchase of the complete team, but with the condition that Adrian Campos would not lead the ‘scuderia.’

With this purchase, the team would leave Spain and the team’s personnel would not have a sure job position any longer.

Petrov needs a loan?

To continue with the soap opera, at Renault ranch, there are problems also, because if the French ‘scuderia’ initially officialized, Vitaly Petrov due to economic interests, the 15 million Euros per season that the Russian was supposed to contribute with are nowhere to be seen, at least that is what his father Alexander gave to understand, when he declared that Vitaly’s position is in jeopardy: “If we do not pay the first quota before March 1^st he may be substituted by another pilot.”

The 15 million Euros were supposed to be paid in two dates: one on March 1^st and the second on July 1^st.  However, it seems that his country’s sponsors were not aware of that.  The problem being that the manager of the Russian pilot has been knocking on the doors of 500 companies and getting the same answer: “He has been rejected every time,” confessed the pilot’s father indicating that: “Fortunately, a friend of mine, responsible for a bank in Saint Petersburg has given me a credit for 7.5 million Euros, but the bank has requested time to evaluate the guaranties.”

“Our hope is Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin who has received letters asking for help from the Russian Motor Federation, from the motoring sport and from the Sport Minister and the Parliament.”

The next episode of this soap opera “The Life of the F1″remains to be seen soon.

Bernie Ecclestone added more fuel to the fire when he made statements regarding the possibility that USF1 and Campos Meta 1 get a place in the grid of the first race at Bahrain. The F1 boss went even further by suggesting the both teams will miss the three first races of the season.
Ecclestone himself revealed there is a clause in the Concord Agreement which allows the teams to be absent at three races during the season. Even though most of the teams will not make use of it –due to the sponsorship contracts-, this could offer an extra period to Campos and USF1 to prepare for their debut in the Formula One.
“I think we won’t be seeing Campos nor the Americans, who are going to request to be absent to three races,” declared Ecclestone to Express. “According to the Concord Agreement the teams are authorized to be absent from three races.”
Both teams have insisted several times that they will run the first race of the season, even though Campos has admitted he is still looking for investors to pay the debts he has with the Dallara chassis manufacturer. On the other hand, the USF1 is ready for his final crash tests, and a number of reports suggest that the chassis is in a very advanced phase.
However, the Serbian, Stefan, who is developing the Toyota’s team F1 2010, is ready to intervene if necessary, suggested Ecclestone, saying that Stefan GP has gotten enough funds to be in conditions to participate in the races. “They have the Serbian government money. I have talked with the Prime Minister.” declared Ecclestone.
Formula One ex-pilots, Schumacher, Kazuki Nakajima and Jacques Villeneuve have been associated with the new team, that will make tests at the Algarve Portimao Race Circuit in Portugal, at the end of the month.