 The Williams team dominated last year's French GP at Magny-Cours |
French Grand Prix organisers have been given until the end of December to keep the race on next year's calendar. Motorsport's governing body, the FIA, said in a statement that the race would go ahead on 4 July providing conditions were met by 31 December.
A contract must now be agreed between Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone's and the French motorsport federation.
The French race was cancelled last month after organisers said they could not afford to stage it.
All the teams competing in the world championship must agree to the race before it is added back on to the calendar.
That is because its presence would extend the F1 calendar to 18 races, one more than is stipulated in the maximum in the teams' contracts with Ecclestone's companies. That leaves the organisers needing to raise around �15m to compensate teams for including an 18th race as well as paying �6m owed to Ecclestone for the 2002 and '03 races, plus the reputed �5m fee for next year's event.
France has been moved forward a week, allowing the British event to move to 11 July.
The FIA came to its decision after a meeting of its world motor sport council in Monaco on Friday.
Calendar for the 2004 Formula One world championship:
March 7 Australia (Melbourne)
March 21 Malaysia (Sepang)
April 4 Bahrain
April 25 San Marino (Imola)
May 9 Spain (Barcelona)
May 23 Monaco
May 30 European (Nuerburgring, Germany)
June 13 Canada (Montreal)
June 20 USA (Indianapolis)
July 4 France (Magny-Cours)*
July 11 Britain (Silverstone)
July 25 Germany (Hockenheim)
August 15 Hungary (Budapest)
August 29 Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)
September 12 Italy (Monza)
September 26 China (Shanghai)
October 10 Japan (Suzuka)
October 24 Brazil (Sao Paulo)
* French Grand Prix subject to the unanimous agreement of the teams and subject to the satisfactory conclusion of a contract with Formula One Management before December 31.
MMIX
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