As soon as he was appointed the new president of the FIA, Todt appointed the president of France's motor racing federation Nicolas Deschaux as new member of the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC). Although the move doesn't necessarily mean much in terms of bringing the French GP back in F1, it does help the country in establishing the necessary contacts to find a solution for that problem.
According to a report provided by the France-Presse news agency, Todt recently said in an interview that talks are currently being held between the FIA and the members of the Federation Francaise du Sport Automobile (FFSA) in order to successfully bring France back to F1 action.
“I hope that France again has a grand prix,” said Todt, while also revealing that the FIA is not only discussing the project with the members of the FFSA, but also with some officials from the French government.
Recent efforts to restore the French Grand Prix have failed due to governmental involvement in the matter, as the famous Flins-sur-Seine project has been blocked by the French Parliament due to environmental issues.
Ecclestone also agreed that reviving the French GP will become a tough job in the future, especially since coming back to Magny-Cours is out of the question (due to economic reasons).
“I've sent a contract to them and it hasn't been sent back. It's a shame, because it's going to get harder to find a spot on the calendar. They need to act quickly because time is short,” said Ecclestone, who admitted that a 2013 race could be held in either Paris or Paul Ricard circuit.
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