Le Mans rules out French GP revival

May 23 - Le Mans has ruled itself out of the running to revive the French grand prix.

Pierre Fillon is the president of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), the organiser of the fabled 24 hour endurance race at the Le Mans circuit.

He told Le Maine Libre newspaper that FIA president Jean Todt had been in touch to ask if Le Mans would consider reviving the French grand prix, absent from the calendar since Magny Cours last hosted it in 2008.

"I think it would not bring us anything. We would need to invest 17 or 18 million euros, financing it exclusively via the ticket booths," Fillon said.

"At best, we would be breaking even," he added.

Fillon was also asked about the possibility of new manufacturers entering Le Mans, and answered: "Ferrari will remain in F1 until they become world champions.

"I would find it an excellent idea if Fiat positioned Alfa Romeo in endurance racing," he added.

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Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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