Flavio Briatore revives the idea of a return of the French Grand Prix, but in Paris
At the F175 ceremony in London, Flavio Briatore expressed his desire to see Formula 1 return to France, with Paris as the preferred host. According to him, the capital offers the necessary infrastructure to host such an event, unlike Castellet. This proposal reignites the debate on organizing a Grand Prix in France, with other cities also being mentioned.
Last Tuesday evening, London’s O2 Arena was the venue for the F175 ceremony, a first in the history of the discipline, bringing together the single-seaters from the ten teams and their respective drivers. Among the participants, Alpine marked its presence, and on the sidelines of the event, Flavio Briatore, former director of the Renault team, advocated for Paris to become the new Formula 1 rendezvous in France: « Obviously, it won’t be a Grand Prix in Paris passing under the Eiffel Tower, but it would be magnificent. Today, with all the sponsors behind F1 and all the people working around it, significant hotel capacities are essential. And it’s not Le Castellet that can offer them. Paris, yes », declared Briatore to Le Figaro.
A Grand Prix in Nice, at Castellet, at Magny-Cours…
Magny-Cours was mentioned by Biatore. The circuit hosted its last French GP in 2008. Felipe Massa won it driving for Ferrari. This circuit then gave way to the Paul Ricard circuit after 17 years serving in the top-tier discipline. In 2009, financial difficulties caused Magny-Cours to leave the calendar, and France found itself without an F1 race for the first time since 1955.
Le Castellet, host of the French Grand Prix from 2018 to 2022, which some considered lacking in spectacle and not lucrative enough compared to non-European competitors.
The circuit has often been criticized for its lack of infrastructure to accommodate the massive influx of fans and motorsport professionals. In comparison, Paris has a much more developed hotel capacity and transport network, making it easier to organize an event of this magnitude.
For some time, the project of a GP in Nice has been mentioned but often forgotten due to its geographical location, deemed too close to Monaco by Mayor Mr. Estrosi: « I won’t hide from you that it’s almost a state-to-state issue. Personally, given the good relations I maintain with the Principality of Monaco, I do not wish to get involved in a debate that could be competitive. » The mayor of Nice, who presided over the French GPs organized between 2018 and 2022 at Le Castellet, has been tasked by Emmanuel Macron for the return of F1 to France.
Last year, during the Japanese Grand Prix, Jean Alesi posed the question to Domenicali: the latter’s reaction is not very reassuring if one is considering a return to a French race in the near future… In a marriage, you must have at least two people who agree. Then to chain on the role of the State: We need interest from France, that the country understands that when you want to organize a Formula 1 Grand Prix today, you need a significant investment. And I think it can be organized centrally with the government. For example, when we come here to Japan, there is the Prime Minister, there are all the people who are really involved in the F1 project because F1 is an opportunity for the country to represent itself to the world.
In the meantime, discussions are ongoing and the French F1 fan community remains hopeful of seeing the single-seaters race on a French circuit once again one day.
Can political alternation in Europe work in France’s favor?
If a return to France is considered one day, it is not excluded that Liberty Media, the owner of F1, might choose to alternate with another European race. From 2027, the Belgian Grand Prix will take place alternately, every other year, with another circuit. Notably, Imola (Italy) is being considered. The Zandvoort circuit, on the other hand, will exit the calendar after 2026, joining Germany and France in the cemetery of the fallen. This will be in favor of a second Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia, on the under-construction Qiddiya circuit, which Charles Leclerc described as « resembling Mario Kart » with its futuristic turns, or a new one in Rwanda, if negotiations ever conclude.
What upheavals to come!
Liberty Media is clear in its ambitions: more GPs in new markets. Europe no longer seems to be a land to conquer for the owners of F1. According to Stefano Domenicali, the president of Formula 1, no one can take away from him that he acknowledges it: F1 has definitely become a beautiful tool of soft power, a tool of geopolitics and international relations.
In summary, it seems complicated to bring France back to the forefront.
