A theme park to revive the F1 project at Magny Cours

The Department of Nièvre is considering the construction of a mobility and transport-themed park near the Magny-Cours circuit. Patrice Joly, President of the General Council of Nièvre, would like the project to be finalized by summer to start the construction work.

He estimates that such a park could accommodate between 350,000 and 400,000 visitors per year. In terms of implementation, the investment would amount to 50 million euros because the access infrastructure to the park, such as highways and parking lots, is already built and belongs to the department.

This would be an opportunity to combine pleasure and education. This project must be clearly profitable. It’s a theme (transport and mobility) that offers many possibilities for activities, explains Patrice Joly to the Journal du Centre.

The construction of the park is also an argument for bringing Formula 1 back to Magny-Cours rather than Castellet if France is to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix in the coming years. Several problems existed during the French Grand Prix era, such as access to the site – an issue resolved by the construction of a highway – and a lack of nearby hotels, a problem that could be addressed with the construction of the park according to Patrice Joly.

«This influx of visitors throughout the year will necessarily lead to the creation of hotels, » adds Patrice Joly.

Proof of Magny-Cours’ desire to bring back Formula 1, a delegation of elected officials from Nièvre – also accompanied by the director of the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit, Serge Saulnier, will go to Paris on January 25th to meet with Prime Minister François Fillon at Matignon to defend the Magny-Cours project against that of Castellet with the aim of hosting a French Grand Prix alternating with Belgium.