France Will Not Hold An F1 Grand Prix In 2013 After Tracks Miss Application Deadline

There will be "no F1 race in France in '13," according to L'EQUIPE, after the French tracks missed their application deadlines. The French Federation of Automobile Sport (FFSA) did not receive any "application demand to present at the next FIA Council meeting" scheduled for early December. The deadline for either the Castellet circuit or Magny-Cours to turn in their application demands was Tuesday (L'EQUIPE, 11/27). SPORT 24's Aurélien Billot reported that neither circuit "was able to finalize its project on time." Castellet circuit ambassador Alain Prost said, "The deadline passed. It's technically impossible for 2013. Two things were missing. A true will from Bernie Ecclestone to come back, to bring back a Grand Prix to Europe. And, naturally, the financial side. A Grand Prix in France cannot welcome as many spectators as some other countries" (SPORT 24, 11/28).