Alain Prost to promote the 2013 French Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi
RMC Sport indicates that the four-time Formula 1 champion, Alain Prost, will be present in Abu Dhabi this weekend to meet Bernie Ecclestone, after the organizers of the project to hold a French Grand Prix at Castellet from 2013 asked him to take charge of operations.
It’s no secret that the Castellet circuit hopes to organize a French Formula One Grand Prix as early as 2013, an ambition now fueled by the vacancy left in the calendar due to the postponement of the Grand Prix of America to 2014.
The holder of the commercial rights for Formula 1, Bernie Ecclestone, has declared himself ready to sign a contract during the last Indian Grand Prix. However, the octogenarian was not putting the cart before the horse: Which circuit they will use is one thing. Who will pay for it is the most important. If they are ready, we can make a place for them in the calendar.
Financing is the stumbling block upon which all French hopes seem to have shattered since the last French Grand Prix, held at Magny-Cours in 2008. While the previous government majority seemed inclined to assist in the return of a Grand Prix on French soil, the new majority has rejected any public aid, urging contenders to find private investors. Le Castellet has long taken the lead and reportedly decided to engage a prominent promoter in the person of Alain Prost to realize its project.
RMC Sport reports that during the World Series by Renault meeting, where the Ligérien took the wheel of the Red Bull RB6, the circuit managers and supporters of the French Grand Prix project at Paul Ricard secretly met with Alain Prost to ask him to fully engage in the discussions, and he agreed to dive back in. The four-time world champion and former head of his own team, the defunct Prost Grand Prix, previously supported two projects for the return of a French Grand Prix, first at Marne-la-Vallée near Eurodisney, then at Flins.
According to Patrick Tambay, F1 consultant for RMC Sport, Alain Prost is the ideal man to represent France in this matter: He can rally around him the private investors that will need to be found. He knows Bernie Ecclestone very well, having been involved in the world championship for many years. As such, the Frenchman should be present this weekend in Abu Dhabi, where the future of the French Grand Prix could be decided during a meeting scheduled for Saturday morning with Bernie Ecclestone and Arnaud Péricard, the project’s lawyer.
Ultimately, Alain Prost is expected to take on the role of promoter of the Grand Prix, leveraging his connections and his influence in the world of French motorsports to attract investors, which are essential for the viability of the project.
