French GP future decision due next week

The FFSA, which both promotes and organises the event, has a contract to run the French Grand Prix until 2011 and with Magny-Cours the only viable venue for next year the track is planning to make a raft of upgrades to bring it up to the standard demanded by Bernie Ecclestone.

"I will have a meeting with my steering committee concerning the situation of the French Grand Prix on June 26 and I will explain to my members the situation," Deschaux told autosport.com. "We will take a decision looking at two major points. The first is our agreement with the local authority until 2009.

"The local authority is the major source of subsidy and I have an agreement with them. After that, we have to take into consideration the financial outcome of the French Grand Prix."

Although Ecclestone is opposed to the grand prix remaining at Magny-Cours, should the circuit be able to live up to the contractual obligations in terms of facilities, it will remain on the calendar.

But even if the FFSA opts to lay claim to the French GP's place on the 2009 calendar, it would then need to find either an investor to cover its event losses - which were two million euro last year - or take over promotion of the grand prix in its entirety. This could mean that a potential alternative venue would bankroll the Magny-Cours race for 2009 as a stop-gap before launching a new race away from Magny-Cours a year later.

"We have a contract with the French federation who are the promoters," said Ecclestone. "We don't break contracts. We'd rather not be here. We made an agreement a couple of years ago with the federation and the last French president and he said we would cancel this event and do another event, hopefully in Paris.

"For us [Paris] is possible. I think it would be magic at Eurodisney because all the facilities are there. But have got a contract here at Magny-Cours for another couple of years."

With plans for the so-called Magny-Cours 2 redevelopment, which would see the circuit's facilities comprehensively updated, launched on Friday, Deschaux says he accepts the need to live up to the standards set by F1.

"It is normal for Mr Ecclestone to try to develop the standards of Formula One," Deschaux told autosport.com. "He built up Formula One to what it is so it is normal he will try to develop the standards of Formula One.

"Magny-Cours has a duty to develop its standards. At the moment, we must find the best way to keep the grand prix in France."