Historic Grand Prix: Back to the past in Le Castellet

It was a trip back in time at Le Castellet. This weekend, the Paul Ricard circuit welcomed exceptional vintage sports cars for the 3rd Historic Grand Prix of France. For the first time, the Varois track had the honor of hosting this event, after Magny-Cours in 2017 and 2019.

They were more than 300, divided into 11 groups. Nearly 70 historic Formula 1 cars raced on the Castellet track, including a McLaren M23, a Ligier JS1, and a Williams FW07C, which won race 1 of the Master Historic Formula One. Formula Junior, F2, F3, Formula Renault, Formula Ford, as well as endurance prototypes also hit the track at Castellet.

Whether on the track or in the paddock, the big names of motorsport were present. Former Formula 1 driver Jean-Pierre Jarrier was there with François Mazet. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares was spotted at the circuit during the F3 and Master Historic Sports Cars races.

Under the Var sun, the old single-seaters showed that they had not lost any of their charm and performance, which delighted the 5,000 spectators present at the event.

The presence of the public delighted Stéphane Clair, the director of the Castellet circuit. We are obviously delighted to have received spectators. It’s been so long, it’s a joy to share such a beautiful event with enthusiasts. It was also a first for many people to use the health pass: significant efforts had to be made to control, advise, and test those who had not managed to display their pass on the TousAntiCovid application,” he explained.

The Historic French Grand Prix allowed the circuit teams to prepare before the arrival of the modern F1 cars in a few days.

This experience is very important for the upcoming events: everyone still has a few days to prepare for their next visit.

After having taken a leap into the past for the weekend, the Circuit du Castellet returns to the present with the seventh round of the F1 World Championship this weekend.