Wednesday 18 June at 16:39 : Two French formula one luminaries hope their country does not drop off the sport's annual calendar.

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone has warned that this weekend's event will be the last to be held at the isolated and unpopular Magny Cours venue.

He wants the French grand prix to shift to the vibrant capital Paris, but it looks unlikely that a solution will be ready for 2009.

"It would only be for 2010, and then what happens in 2009?" quadruple world champion Alain Prost is quoted as saying by the news agency Press Association.

Prost said he thinks it would be a "mistake" for formula one to keep moving away from its traditional venues in Europe.

Magny Cours, located in rural central France, is seldom cited as a favourite venue, but Toyota technical boss Pascal Vasselon - another Frenchman - enjoys what he describes as the "anti-stress" atmosphere there.

"I am especially sad because we don't know what is happening next," he said.

"It wouldn't be so bad if we knew the race was going to Paris or wherever but at the moment it doesn't seem like there is a clear plan."