French F1 fans rejoice as government pledges to bring back historic race
May 23 - The French government will help revive the country's axed annual grand prix.
France is among the most historic hosts in Formula 1 history, but the latest annual event held at the Paul Ricard circuit between 2018 and last year.
French F1 legend Jean Alesi was appointed president of Paul Ricard in the wake of the final race in 2022, and mere months ago he lamented the lack of a "national will" for a French GP.
"It would be an honour to speak with a president of the Republic about something that is close to my heart," he said.
"But I think he has other priorities."
However, French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera is suddenly indicating that the government may in fact be motivated to revive France's F1 event.
"I think it's positive that the boss of Formula 1 has recently expressed such a desire for France," she told the Eco newspaper.
"Therefore, we will work on a roadmap," she added, referring to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
"Now we need to attract the right people - and in France there is no shortage of them, including among our distinguished elected representatives - to develop a good project and enter into a dialogue with the leadership of Formula 1," the sports minister added.
"This is really a great opportunity so we will do whatever we can to take advantage of it."
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France is economically as F**ked as Britain is, the car makers there are struggling , so wholl stump up the $25 Million , get real Jean
Circuit Paul Ricard just got axed in the recent past, so I doubt it'd return soon, if ever, given F1's general trend towards temporary/city circuits, & Circuit Paul Ricard has the critical issue of having quite an isolated location & being difficult to access via roads, etc.
Paul Ricard is a great circuit which provides good racing. However, it's a bit like Bathurst in Australia ~ great circuit but fairly isolated and not enough accommodation options to stage such a big event. Why not have a F1 race at Le Mans? Everything is already there and ready. Hold it in July, so it doesn't have any impact on the Le Mans 24 Hour. I would love to see a F1 race in France. It's a travesty that the birthplace of motor racing has been excluded from the F1 calendar.
I doubt a location like Le Mans is on the long-term plans.
I'm sorry but, I just don't like races held on Paul Ricard.
Wouldn't La Sarthe, be a better F1 circuit?
In my dreams, I find myself witnessing the electrifying sight of Max Verstappen blazing down the high-speed Conrod Straight. With DRS now activated, Verstappen's RB19 car, a precision-engineered beast, is rapidly closing in on Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes, which struggles to withstand the storm that is about to be unleashed.
Max’s determination becomes palpable. His focus intensifies with every passing second as he skillfully guides the beast through the twists and turns of the Bathurst track. Meanwhile, Hamilton is on the radio, pleading for help as he tries to defend his position. However, the power and speed of Max's RB19 are simply unmatched. Before long, Hamilton becomes nothing more than a fading image in Max's side mirrors.
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