The French GP has been a historic outing in F1’s long and illustrious history. Since 2018, the race has been taking place in Le Castellet, but multiple tracks around France including Magny-Cours have hosted the French Grand Prix in the past. This season, however, we won’t see Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon compete in their home race with French team Alpine. The reason behind this is a huge corruption scandal.
According to Business F1, the organizers of the French GP have been stealing up to $4.8 million every year. Members of the GIP Grand Prix de France, have collectively stolen a total of $28 million which is missing from their account. The stealing of money has been going on for quite some time, and every year, it added to the decline of the French GP.
In 2018, the sport decided to return to France at Le Castellet. Even though it wasn’t a particular fan favorite, racing-wise, it had a historic element to it. The initial contract was until 2022, and even though there were talks of renewal, the outing was omitted while drawing up the final schedule for 2023.
Former F1 driver failed at resurrecting French GP
Former F1 driver Jean Alesi, who drove in the sport between 1989 and 2001, was asked to become the president of the GIP Grand Prix de France. However, multiple sources have claimed that he messed things up even more. Alesi himself was involved in legal battles in the Avignon region, because of which the French president Emanuel Macron refused to meet him.
There was a former team principal, who worked with Alesi, who told Business F1 that hiring Alesi to fix the mess-up that is the French GP, was a huge blunder. “Jean Alesi is the last man you would call to solve a problem like this,” he said. “But I suppose that is the French way of doing things.”
Alesi blames French president for Le Castellet failure
In an interview, Alesi spoke about how he feels politics is the reason behind Formula 1’s downfall in France. He took a direct dig at the country’s president, Marcon. He stated that he and the authorities have faced minimal backing from the higher political figures, which has troubled them massively.
“It’s probably the only F1 Grand Prix that has never had a president come to watch it,” the former Ferrari driver said.
Alesi went out to point out flaws in French motorsports itself. He feels that the country as a whole does not care much about Formula 1, which makes it difficult for them to host a race. He dismissed claims surrounding the apparent fraud.
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon miss out on home race
Alpine is a French team, that is a part of the Renault group. They have always been proud of their French identity, and heading into the 2023 season, they had a lineup of national heroes, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.
One could imagine the grandstands of the Circuit Paul Ricard being full of fans waving Alpine flags, cheering the two Frenchmen on. Unfortunately, we won’t be witnessing that this season. In fact, it is unclear as to when the French GP (if it does) returns to the calendar.
