Boullier hails 2018 French GP as a 'success' despite traffic issues

Eric Boullier says that return of the French Grand Prix in 2018 was a success, despite the major traffic issues that occurred throughout the weekend.

Fans were stuck in traffic for hours as they made their way to the circuit during the three days, which was made more difficult by the hot weather that was present.

Boullier, who left his role at McLaren midway through the 2018 season, was recently confirmed in a new position with the French Grand Prix, as its sport and operational strategic advisor.

Although he admitted to the traffic issues that surrounded the weekend at Circuit Paul Ricard last year, Boullier believes that the event as a whole was a success.

"There are a lot of challenges, last year, traffic was one of them," he said in Barcelona. "We know the place, but as a first event, and I'm not trying to bullshit anybody, it was a success. It was a Grand Prix that was successful for many, many, many reasons.

"Obviously there was a dark side, and I say the dark side in regards to the traffic, especially on the Friday. There has been a lot of work done to understand [the situation]. We all know Paul Ricard is difficult to access sometimes, but I think there are a few things that have been cleverly worked on to make sure the traffic is much smoother."

Gilles Dufeigneux, the general director of the French Grand Prix, has assured that processes are in place to deal with the circulation problems it faced last year.

"Last year public authorities were in charge of the mobility plans," he said. "We, as promoters, worked with a well-known engineering company that works with Ryder Cup golf, Euro 2016 and the 2024 Olympics. We had a contract with this company that delivered a lot of people, studies and proposals.

"Afterwards, we worked with this famous company on artificial intelligence, so this year it's our plan. We presented the work to the local authorities and the local state bodies."