F1 doesn’t need France – Renault’s Briatore

(GMM) He may be the boss of the French carmaker's formula one team, but Flavio Briatore has refused to lend support to the embattled French grand prix.

Amid Magny Cours' doubtful berth on the 2008 calendar, the Renault principal suggested that the sport does not need to be loyal to traditional hosts like France.

"We need hospitality and we need room, we need hotels, we need service; and, in some places, really this does not exist, like in France," Briatore, who is Italian, said.

Briatore said he backs F1's switch of focus from Europe into new markets including Asia and the East.

And he added: "Magny Cours is not a good example of what is there for the future of formula one. That is my view."