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The French Motorsport Federation (FFSA) has hit out at the country’s Government for not doing more to get the French Grand Prix back on the Formula 1 calendar.

FFSA boss Nicolas Deschaux says he “regrets” that politicians in France have not followed the lead of their counterparts in Asia, who have championed the need for a grand prix in their respective countries.

Plans for a new circuit near Paris were scrapped earlier this week, meaning the French race is unlikely to return in the near future.

And Deschaux said: “It is surprising that this type of event – the third biggest media event in the world after the Olympics and the football World Cup – is so denigrated in France by some politicians.

“The dynamism of Asian countries is undeniable and the willingness of some countries – like Japan, Malaysia, Singapore since 2008 and China since 2004 – to host a grand prix demonstrates that this type of event is not at all, as some claim, an image of the past.

“Rather, it is a symbol of the ability of a country to host events highlighting particularly high technology.”