NOVEMBER 4, 2004

No problem for French GP, says Regis

Jacques Regis says that the French GP is not under threat, despite the fact that the F1 teams say they will not do 19 races unless Ferrari agrees to accept control tyres and a restriction on testing next year.

"We already had a contract signed at the end of 2003 for five years that Ecclestone could cancel and not us," Regis told Autohebdo magazine. "It's a system which was obviously not what I wanted. We renegotiated and signed a modified contract around three weeks ago. This is for seven years and has appreciably different conditions. That is why Bernie has concluded that we are the 18th or 19th race. But that is only his thinking. As far as I am concerned the fate of Magny-Course is completely clear and there is no discussion about dates or priorities. I do not see any reason for the teams to call the race into question. It is completely illogical and does not have any legal basis."