In 2023 France will not appear on the Formula 1 calendar. The head of the motorsport premier class, Stefano Domenicali, announces the end of the traditional track in Le Castellet, and the premier class will not be a guest in Magny-Cours either.
As expected, Formula 1 will not stop in France for a Grand Prix next year. The confirmed series boss Stefano Domenicali of the news agency AFP. The five-year contract between Formula 1 and the Le Castellet circuit expired with the Grand Prix last July. However, Domenicali made it clear that talks with the track promoter of the Circuit Paul Ricard would continue. It is also conceivable that the race could enter a rotation system with other Grands Prix in the future.
In 1972, the French Grand Prix was held in Le Castellet for the first time, 17 more races followed until 2022. A German driver was never able to win on the track: The French Grand Prix was held in Magny-Cours from 1991 to 2008, where Michael collected Schumacher, Ralf Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen three German drivers a total of ten victories. From 2009 to 2017, France completely disappeared from the Formula 1 calendar. The first French Grand Prix took place in 1895 as a long-distance race, and Formula 1 took place in Reims in its inaugural season in 1948. Drivers chased each other over French asphalt 98 times to win a Grand Prix de France.
In addition to Le Castellet, the traditional Monaco and Spa racetracks, where the Belgian Grand Prix will be held on Sunday (3 p.m. / Sky and in the ntv.de live ticker), are currently without a contract for the coming year. According to the regulations, no more than 24 races can be held per season, but the number of interested parties is significantly higher.
Accordingly, it seems increasingly likely that Formula 1 will introduce a rotation of locations. The German Grand Prix, which was last on the regular racing calendar in 2019, could also benefit from such a model. In 2020, the Eifel Grand Prix on the Nürburgring was added to the program at short notice because Formula 1 had to set up an emergency calendar due to the corona pandemic in order to get at least 17 races into the season. The provisional calendar for the following season is traditionally presented in late summer.
