Douillet: “The French Grand Prix is not dead!”
David Douillet, the French Minister of Sports, assured that the French Grand Prix project was not at a standstill.
Recently, Bernie Ecclestone and David Douillet met to discuss the possibility of organizing a Grand Prix in France by 2013. The date of September 1st and an alternation with the Belgian Grand Prix were mentioned in the press, although nothing official emerged from this meeting between the two men.
David Douillet, however, insisted on revisiting the issue by stating on French television that the Grand Prix is not dead.
The French presence in Formula 1 has been growing rapidly for several months with the arrival of Pic, Grosjean, and Vergne in the discipline: « We have three new French drivers in F1 and therefore we must have a French Grand Prix. It’s my job. France is the country of the Grand Prix » assures the Minister.
To reassure public opinion, he also revisits his meeting with Bernie Ecclestone: « I met Bernie Ecclestone and he is fully prepared for the alternation between Belgium and France. He has mobilized and motivated the local governments for the event’s funding, even though we do not yet know all the details from our Belgian friends. There are also a few details to sort out with two nearby municipalities. We are almost there. »
