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France reach agreement for F1 calendar return

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Written by Alex

Southern France circuit Paul Ricard has secured a 5 race deal to return to the F1 Calendar from 2013. France has been without a round of the World Championship since Magny-Cours was dropped from the 2009 schedule due to financial difficulties.

Paul Ricard which hosted the French Grand Prix 14 times between 1971 and 1990 will host the race bi-annually alternating with another European venue already on the calendar, most likely to be the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

The French race will be the second new event on the 2013 schedule with the Grand Prix of America race on the streets of New Jersey due to be twinned with the Canadian Grand Prix in June. This year we see the return of the USA to the calendar at a brand new venue in Austin, Texas, whilst in 2014 Sochi in Russia will join the World Championship.

Talking to France's L'Equipe newspaper, Formula One Management's CEO Bernie Ecclestone commented that he has 'no doubt' that the race will take place.

"The deal is done," Ecclestone said. "We actually agreed on financial terms with the sports minister, David Douillet, in my office last Tuesday.

"We are still discussing a few points about money around the race, 'You give me this, I want that' and so on. But, for me, there is no doubt that we will sort it all out."

The Paul Ricard circuit is named after Paul Ricard who built and opened the circuit in 1970. After Ricard's death in 1997, the circuit was brought by FOM's CEO Ecclestone in 1999. Ecclestone decided to invest heavily in the circuit, and thus made it into a High-Tech-Test-Track (HTTT) which is suitable for all forms of motorsport racing and testing including Formula One.

Within the motorsport world, the track is renowned for its "Blue Zones" which are specially designed asphalt runoff areas. It has 167 possible configurations which range in length from 826 metres to 5.861kms. The Grand Prix will be run on the full 5.861kms layout.

The 2013 race is slated to be held on September 1st 2013.

Argentina set to return to F1 Schedule in 2013

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Written by Alex

Argentina looks set to return to the Formula One schedule in 2013, after a curious announcement made by the countries President yesterday.

Cristina Fernandez has stated that the country has agreed a three year contract to host a race on the streets Mar del Plata, a seaside resort about 400kms away from the capital, Buenos Aires.

The race which is to be run in 2013, 2014 and 2015 is expected to take place in November forming part of a North America / South America triple with the American Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas and the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.

Formula One Management's CEO Bernie Ecclestone has long held a desire to get the South American state back on the F1 calendar since its last foray ended in 1998 after just 4 years. This is in alignment with Ecclestone's current policy of global expansion as from 2013 there will be 2 races in the USA and in 2014 Russia will hold a race in Sochi, venue of the Winter Olympic Games. Spain looks set to lose one of its two races from 2013 as Valencia and Barcelona are set to share the rights to the Spanish Grand Prix dropping the European moniker that Valencia currently enjoys.

All Previous Formula One World Championship Grand Prix' in Argentina have been held at the Autodromo Oscar Galvez, situated just outside Buenos Aires. Michael Schumacher is the only driver on the F1 grid to have previously raced in the Argentine Grand Prix, winning the nations final race back in 1998.