After Formula 1 definitively broke the Russian Grand Prix contract, rumors have grown about the circuits that would occupy that vacant place on the calendar. The pandemic that began two years ago also caused last-minute changes to the planned roadmap, and tracks such as Portimao or the Nurburgring hosted top-class races.
Now, after revealing the Portuguese track its intentions to celebrate a grand prix permanently, Magny-Cours joins the bid to occupy a place in Formula 1 after they said goodbye in 2008.
Motorsport.com spoke with the mayor of Nevers, Denis Thuriot , the city where the circuit that has held 18 consecutive Formula 1 races since 1991 is located, and showed the intention of bringing the track back to the fore.
“I have been mayor of Nevers since 2014, and we bought about 15% of the shares of the company that operates in the circuit, so I am involved with its management,” explained the politician. “I am trying to bring a Formula 1 Grand Prix back to Nevers, because we are a circuit in the category, we have the homologation again for five years.”
“I’m trying to get Formula 1 back, and last year we positioned ourselves after the cancellation of the Japanese Grand Prix. Now I think we can play a card, even with the cancellation of the race in Russia, why not bring back the Grand Prix? Europe Award,” he continued.
However, the intention of Magny-Cours is not to take control of the Grand Circus in Gallic territory, but to share the limelight with Paul Ricard: “I have had the opportunity to meet several times with the president of the FFSA (French Automobile Federation ), Nicolas Deschaux, and my idea is that it complements the French Grand Prix, not be its competition”.
“It’s a great national prize that is in the south,” he said in reference to Paul Ricard. “He takes it on alone, and here we don’t have the same support from the state, so I started talking to the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, since the prerequisite is to have the help of the state, and if possible, of the region, because we will not be able to finance everything by ourselves”.
“Nowadays, a Formula 1 race costs the local authorities money, it has always been like that, but we no longer have the same freedom to fill as many seats as before. On this track there is a capacity of 150,000 people, which we will not reach , and I proposed to Christian Estrosi and Renaud Muselier to do it every two years during this period of five seasons,” said Thuriot.
“We have started recently, and I will resume it, since due to everything that has happened, we had other priorities, but I do not hide that there are possibilities for the return of Formula 1,” said the French mayor.
Asked if he had had talks with motorsport’s top flight, he said: “I have had contacts with Formula 1 officials, in particular with the circuit director, Serge Saulnier. I also received the European Union ministers from the field of telecommunications and I suggested that part of the visit be on the track so that they could discover it and take an interest in it”.
“Let’s imagine that we start with a European Grand Prix, it is always interesting that all the countries of the continent know the circuit. For me, there is a political, financial and organizational aspect in which if they tell us that there is a race within fifteen days, We are ready,” he argued.
“We have the infrastructure, we have made economic efforts to maintain the circuit at the level of Formula 1. It is a track that is highly appreciated by the drivers that I have had the opportunity to meet.”
“About the French Grand Prix, I think this year we reach the end of the five years signed, so things have to go fast to negotiate and see if we can make a joint bid. I want to see if I can come to fruition with the elected officials of the southern region, instead of saying things in advance, we must study if we can agree on a candidacy that alternates,” the mayor stated.
