No French GP before at least 2011!

After concluding that the project was not economically viable, Euro Disney and Lagardère Sports have decided to abandon the project of a French Grand Prix on the outskirts of Paris.

It was agreed to organize this event at Val d’Europe for the 2010 season. The project had the support of Bernie Ecclestone, but no final agreement could be reached with the other parties who financially backed the operation.

Led by former F1 world champion Alain Prost, the funding for the Lagardère group was estimated at 60 million euros, while Euro Disney provided the land on which the future track was supposed to be built.

The location was ideal, situated about half an hour from the French capital. This project was leading because of its proximity to Paris but also due to the large number of hotels and accommodations found within a few kilometers. Magny-Cours is a circuit surrounded only by fields and villages…

Around 250 residents of the Val-d’Europe area protested last weekend against this project, denouncing the noise and harmful effects on the environment that this race would have on the region.

Euro Disney responded that its intention was to save the French Grand Prix while benefiting from the many supporters who would travel and who could have, in the process, replenished the amusement park’s coffers…

This project was one of the six sites that could host a round of the Formula 1 World Championship. It was the only one that could offer France a Grand Prix in 2010. With the cancellation of the event in 2009, France will likely host no race before 2011.

In one week, it’s the second circuit bailout plan that has fallen through after Canada’s, also due to economic reasons.