If Eric Boullier, the boss of the Grand Prix de France, looked up, he would surely see a sword of Damocles concerning the future of the race at Paul Ricard: indeed, the arrival of new Grands Prix on the calendar, such as those of Miami or Las Vegas, clearly threatens historic races.
Spa, Monaco, Monza Silverstone, and on the front line Paul Ricard are threatened.
Inevitably, the two French drivers on the grid, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, would not welcome the disappearance of their national event.
Ocon, who runs in a French team in addition, has thus raised his voice a little in the Melbourne paddock: we must save Private Castellet.
“Well, I am very happy to discover new circuits, but yes, I see the French Grand Prix threatened, and I will certainly do everything I can, to be heard about it, to try to keep it on. the calendar. »
“Of course, when I started in Formula 1, this Grand Prix did not exist. It was rumored that he was coming back, and he came back, and you know, we had so many great times with the French fans there and yes, it’s extremely special when we go there every year. »
« So I mean, I don’t know, what the exact situation is but I’m not happy to hear he’s under threat at the moment and I’ll do everything I can to keep him on the schedule. »
For Esteban Ocon, the probable disappearance of the Paul Ricard is just one more example of the threats to historic Grands Prix. Even Monaco and Monza are in the sights of FOM today.
« We haven’t lost the big Spa circuit, the big Monza and all those circuits, so yeah, it would be a real shame to lose them, and we’re all of the same mind, you know, the drivers, the teams, and probably Formula 1 too. So, it’s not a topic at the moment, but I’m happy to go to Vegas and Miami and discover a little about the United States and the new circuits. »
Gasly also defends Le Castellet
At AlphaTauri, Pierre Gasly also intends to do everything to defend his national Grand Prix. He wants to truly feel the atmosphere of a home event, after having been deprived of it due to Covid.
« Well, obviously, being French, I will always support the French Grand Prix and I have a special connection with this country, because, and Daniel can experience that this weekend, the motivation, the energy , vibe is something you can only feel in your home country and your people, your fans can make you feel in those kind of emotions. »
“So I really hope we can see the French Grand Prix again in the next few years. Obviously, if it were up to me, I would sign the contract right now, but I’m not sure Stefano [Domenicali] allow me to do so. And yes, there are other things they need to discuss first. Obviously this Grand Prix is not in a safe position at the moment. »
“It has been quite difficult with the COVID. And I still don’t feel like I’ve been able to fully experience this race as I should. So I’m really looking forward to this year. And yeah, I’m crossing my fingers that the circuit stays with us, that it stays on the calendar for the next few years. »
However Gasly is also looking forward to racing in Miami or Las Vegas…
« Because the popularity of F1 is so high, you know, everyone wants us. It’s great to see new tracks like Miami, Vegas, all these super fun places. And yes, we will see how it goes. But hopefully we can have a really good addition, a really good event this season. »