French F1 GP Cancelled Due To Lack Of Funds
The French F1 Grand Prix in 2009 has been cancelled due to the French Motorsports Federation (FFSA) withdrawing financial support, prompting increasing fears France will struggle to reclaim its place on the calendar.
Claiming it was for ‘economic reasons’, the FFSA cancelled the race scheduled for next June, but confirmed that everyone who had booked tickets would be reimbursed.
France has only been absent once, in 1955, from the Grand Prix schedule, since the championship began in 1950.
It is not clear at this point whether the French Grand Prix will be axed from the calendar all together or whether it will be moved to a different venue.
Disneyland Paris is allegedly a favoured option for a future Grand Prix in the country, and the FFSA has claimed to be working on six ‘serious and worthwhile’ projects, most of which involves a new track near the French capital.
The cancellation of next year’s race is not unexpected, as global economic conditions have caused F1 organisers to shift locations of many of the races to other cities that could prove to be more financially lucrative.
Another absence on next year’s calendar is the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, which had been pulled from the schedule after being on a provisional 19-race list.
Abu Dhabi has taken the Canadian spot and India will enter in 2011, which would mean yet another existing race venue would get taken off the schedule.
