French prime minister Francois Fillon has confirmed talks are underway and a preliminary contract had been presented for Formula 1 to return to the country, but nothing has yet been finalised.
The announcement made on Friday was a lacklustre one, with signs pointing toward a confirmed deal having been reached with Bernie Ecclestone for the Paul Ricard circuit to host an F1 race from 2013, proving a stretch too far.
Despite this, the project is progressing well confirmed Fillon: “We are working on the idea of hosting a grand prix every other year at Le Castellet,” he said. “This idea has been agreed with by the Formula One authorities.”
Reports suggest it will alternate on an annual basis with the Belgian GP, which is part of the reason a confirmed deal hasn’t yet been finalised, with the organisers at Spa-Francorchamps yet to fully agree to the race share.
Fillon also stressed that the event wouldn’t receive substantial financial backing from the government, despite a €2 million shortfall on what has been agreed between the organisers and Ecclestone.
