Is Ricard the right venue for F1's French return?

After eight years of trying and countless failed attempts from various circuits across the country, France has finally reclaimed its grand prix.

It's a good thing for Formula 1, especially in an era in which heartland races have dropped off the calendar in favour of multi-million pound state-of-the-art venues, many of which lack character. But has it chosen the right track for its French return?

My initial feeling was no. Paul Ricard is an impressive facility that ticks all the boxes when it comes to track management. It leads the way on safety, with its large asphalt run-off areas and use of TecPro barriers.

It's the ideal testing venue, so much so that sportscar teams use it to prepare for the Le Mans 24 Hours and Pirelli has chosen it as one of the venues for its F1 tyre testing programme. It also has a staggering 167 different configurations ranging from 0.5 miles 3.6 miles for - as the official website puts it - "the objectives of everyone in developing cars and training for competition".

A fine test track it may be, but F1 is supposed to be the main event. It is supposed to feature the ultimate in driver challenges. There should be no place on the calendar for a track that sells itself as the perfect testing venue. That track should be reserved for, er, testing.

And history shows that tracks that are good for testing, such as Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, don't usually produce brilliant races, in part because the teams have so much data from the venue.

But having said all of that, it may not be such a bad idea after all if France is playing the long game. It has failed time and again to bring F1 back to its shores since Magny-Cours last hosted a race in 2008.

So the first challenge was just to get the race back on the calendar and Paul Ricard holds favour in F1 circles.

The key was putting together a package that was viable, given Magny-Cours got the axe amid financial difficulties. For a time, the FFSA was underwriting the losses of the race, before finally biting the bullet and admitting defeat at the end of 2008. Several venues had a stab, including Rouen, Versailles and Sarcelles, but none of them gained serious traction.

There was even a project for a race on Disneyland Paris' land, in what would have been the perfect location just 30 minutes drive from central Paris, with plenty of accommodation to house the influx of people.

There was also a bid to use a 2.8-mile track at Flins-Les-Mureaux, north west of Paris, with the venue being part of a new industrial complex. The industrial parts were completed, and proved to be a success, but local authorities decided to scrap plans for the F1 track.

Further near-misses came, with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone declaring a deal "done" for 2013 only for it to come to nothing. And a further investigation for 2015 also failed to materialise. But this time, things appear to be different.

Head of the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region Christian Estrosi assembled a team, which included McLaren racing director Eric Boullier, in January and has since methodically gone about putting together a project to bring F1 back. Recruiting Boullier was a smart move, with the Frenchman utilising his access to Ecclestone to facilitate talks.

"I'm delighted by the prospect of the reinstatement of the French Grand Prix," said Boullier. "As a Frenchman, I've tried to make my own modest contribution in support of the project and I'll do whatever I can to help make it happen.

"Specifically, since although I'm French I live in England, working as the racing director of one of the leading British Formula 1 teams, I can gain access to Bernie Ecclestone more easily than can less well connected individuals based outside the UK.

"In that context, I was able to make sure a discussion occurred, a presentation was viewed and considered, and a series of the right messages conveyed and understood."

The race will cost the region €30million, with €16million coming from ticket sales and €14million from public subsides.

Estrosi believes this is good value as he estimates around €65million per grand prix will be brought to the region alongside the creation of several hundreds of jobs.

It will also make use of a venue that has had €80million investment since 2002, €15million of which has been spent over the last five years, with further investment coming next year ahead of the race in the summer of '18.

The important thing for F1 is that France is back on the calendar. It hosted the first national grand prix, after all. If the promoter makes a success of it, attracting the 66,000 spectators it hopes while balancing the books, that will be proof that a race can be successful and financially viable in France.

Magny-Cours, for example, was a venue that the F1 paddock disliked largely because of its location. However, it had a few decent, quick corners, offered decent spectator viewing and had a good overtaking opportunity in the Adelaide hairpin.

The pit entry was also modified, shortening the pitlane to the extent that Michael Schumacher managed to make a four-stop strategy work to win the 2004 edition of the race.

The venue requires an update and an improvement of the facilities and infrastructure in the surrounding areas. France has alternated before, with Ricard and Dijon doing just that through the 1970s and early 1980s. While not a favoured option by most venues because it is difficult to justify investment for an event of that frequency and build a following, it could do so again if an appropriate plan can be put together.

Then another venue, with a better track - perhaps a street race in Paris or the realisation of the Disneyland Paris project - could step in and take over the reigns, solidifying France's place on the calendar.

F1's new owner Liberty Media is keen to expand the calendar beyond the record 21 races of 2016 - with the addition of races in the USA while also protecting heritage grands prix. France's return bodes well.

Paul Ricard is a decent, if not spectacular, circuit that meets F1 criteria. It gives F1 a chance to test the water in a country that used to be deeply in love with the series and tests the water for other venues in France that perhaps might not be ready to take the plunge.

And with a sprinkler system already installed, F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone might even get his dream of artificial rain to liven up races...