While many of the Formula One fraternity couldn’t wait to leave Magny-Cours for the last time, there were mixed emotions about saying goodbye to the rural environs. And just about everybody agreed that a French Grand Prix is an important part of the schedule.
Magny-Cours — located in central France, about three hours drive (assuming there is no traffic) from Paris — has hosted the grand prix since 1991.
While the track itself is good, and its facilities (not counting the bathrooms) are mostly OK, it’s the remote location that is the problem.
F-1 teams and their sponsors like fancy hotels and nice restaurants, and there is a dearth of both in the area. In fact, there is a scarcity of any vaguely acceptable hotels and restaurants once 80,000 people descend on the normally charming area.

"OK, there are not many five-star hotels around here, but as long as you have a warm shower and a bed, get on with it.” — Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber

I can say without hesitation that some of the grungiest hotels and some of the worst meals I’ve ever had on the F-1 trail around the world were right here in the Magny-Cours area.
“French hotels are legendary for being poor, aren’t they?” Mark Webber said. “They are not exactly awesome. OK, there are not many five-star hotels around here, but as long as you have a warm shower and a bed, get on with it.”
The local road system couldn’t cope with the traffic, either, and there were some legendary traffic jams over the years.
Will Magny-Cours be missed?
“From a drivers’s point of view, we say yes because the circuit I think is very good,” Felipe Massa said. “Uphill, downhill, a very quick chicane. From a (traffic) queues’s point of view, I think it is better to be lost because everybody is complaining. But with a little effort outside of the track, it can be a very good place to come.”
Giancarlo Fisichella said that at any race the drivers spend all day at the track and then go to the hotel, so being in the countryside wasn’t a problem. But it is a problem for the fans, especially for those who don’t camp at the track.
“The circuit is nice to drive,” Kimi Raikkonen said, “but (it’s) more for the people it is a bit difficult here. There is nothing really around the circuit. I don’t think it is going to be missed too much.”
Getting to and staying near Magny-Cours is a hassle, but what’s the tradeoff for a new venue?
“We all know it is in the middle of France and in the middle of nowhere,” Fernando Alonso said. “But I think we will go to Singapore, and we will take a flight of 14 hours. So, I don’t know which one is more convenient.”
The French Grand Prix, which dates back to 1906, is currently not on the 2008 schedule but should be back in 2009. But where?
“A dream grand prix would be in Paris,” Jean Todt said. “But unfortunately, I don’t think it is practical.”
Flavio Briatore quipped: “Along the Champs-Elysee, next to your (Todt’s) house!”
Wherever the race ends up, it needs to be where it can cater to a crowd that can turn out in sufficient numbers to make the race and the venue economically viable.
Will I miss Magny-Cours?
Yes.
Once I learned some of the ins and outs of the whole area I actually got to enjoy the quiet, rural atmosphere of the surrounding countryside and the relaxed, deserted feeling (due to the lack of sponsor guests here) in the F-1 paddock.