INTERVIEW
It could celebrate its 50 years of existence to the sound of the gleaming and roaring engines of Formula 1, but without the cheers of the public. The Paul Ricard circuit, which receives the Grand Prix of France in the queen discipline of motor sports, is in the most complete uncertainty. "We are in contact with the authorities," says the president of the French Federation of Motor Sports (FFSA) Nicolas Deschaux on Europe 1. And if the Grand Prix is maintained, will the cars race behind closed doors, because of the ban on events of more than 100 people until mid-July? "The very basis of revenue for the promoter of the Grand Prix of France is the ticket office. It is difficult to see, unless the model is revised, that a Grand Prix can be held behind closed doors for a local promoter."
>> Find all the major debates of Europe 1 Sport in replay and podcast here
Already 400 canceled events
Like other sports federations, the FFSA was hit hard by the Coronavirus crisis. "The federation has 1000 events on its calendar, today, if we make a projection until June, 400 will be canceled," says Nicolas Deschaux. "We are facing an unprecedented situation. We have implemented a methodology for the repositioning of our national calendars. We have created a unit in case the season could start again at the end of August, at the beginning of September."
"The financial difficulties are coming. The federation has a certain number of reserves, but we will not be able to go beyond a certain amount, we will have a significant loss of turnover, in particular with the licenses", says the president of the federation. Other prestigious races were also affected, such as the 24 hours of Le Mans, postponed the weekend of September 19. For the moment, the pilots are taking their patience as much as they can. The French Esteban Ocon, for example, challenges his fellow pilots on video games.