Nice track could be future home of French GP

The future of the French GP is still uncertain, but Stefano Domenicali has revealed a shock bid from the city of Nice has come in to host a street race in coming years, should the sports relationship with Circuit Paul Ricard end…

Formula 1’s contract with Le Castellet expires at the end of this season, putting the French GP in doubt – with no deal currently agreed for Formula 1 to continue heading to France.

F1 CEO, Domenicali has previously spoken at length about his desire to expand to new markets for the sport, whilst also keeping a portion of its heritage in its traditional European heartland and he acknowledged France’s role in that.

Whilst nothing is decided for the country yet, he (Stefano) revealed that Nice has thrown its hat in the ring to hold a race around the streets of the French Riviera City and a decision on the future of the race will be taken by the end of July.

Historically, France has been an important nation in motorsport. You might not know this, but there is an amazing project with Nice, who wants a grand prix. It’s great, as it proves that other destinations in the country are interested in F1. We are going to look at the applications and study them carefully. Other things could come very soon. All I can tell you is, by late July, you will know more about the future of your grand prix.”

Domenicali talking to L’Equipe

Nexr season’s calendar is still yet to be unveiled, but the likelihood is the number of races will increase given the arrival of Qatar and Las Vegas on a permanent basis. Austria, Belgium and Monaco are all also trying to keep their place on the schedule, with their own contracts expiring at the end of 2022.