In the hot seat, the Grands Prix of France, Belgium and even Monaco have not yet assured their future.

F1, which is now exported to Saudi Arabia, Miami, next year to Las Vegas and potentially to South Africa, could turn away from one or more historic stages in Europe.

The new generation F1, promoted by the American group Liberty Media, holder of the commercial rights since 2017 and once again become "hype" via the hit Netflix series "Drive to Survive", wants to go global with more substantial contracts.

The director of the Grand Prix de France, Éric Boullier, explained to AFP this week that the event was "not dead", and evoked the solution of a rotation between different circuits, so as not to disappear completely.

Change route?

"We have to take into account the future possibility that there may be 30 Grands Prix for 25 dates", he noted.

Returning to the calendar in 2018, ten years after the last edition at Magny-Cours, near Nevers in the center of the country, the French GP is the sixth most contested Grand Prix in the history of F1 since 1950.

France, with a very strong motorsport tradition with still two drivers out of 20, one team (Alpine) out of ten and one engine manufacturer (Renault) out of four in F1, could therefore return to the closet, like Germany, which has not more Grand Prix.

Spaniard Fermando Alonso at the wheel of his Alpine during free practice for the French GP on the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet, July 23, 2023 Sylvain THOMAS AFP

However, the French round is doing everything to stay on the calendar.

After the heavy traffic jams of 2018, a vast mobility plan has been organized to make access more fluid, entertainment and concerts will punctuate the weekend for 200,000 spectators expected from Friday to Sunday - a record -.

"France has always given a lot to motorsport, and it would be a bit unfair (for it to disappear from the calendar)," Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine, told AFP.

"The French GP is impeccable, the specifications are completely fulfilled".

So what's the problem ?

Asked about their preference between driving at Le Castellet or in Belgium, the drivers are clearly leaning towards the Belgian Ardennes.

Summing up the general feeling, Sebastian Vettel sees Spa as an "incredible circuit and it would be a shame to lose it".

For the cerebral German, Le Castellet is "not as exciting" and "few pilots are big fans".

However, recognizes the quadruple world champion (2010-2013), the atmosphere there is "incredible, in 2019 it was crazy, the spectators and the French anthem, these were among the most striking moments".

The question somewhat embarrasses the French, like Pierre Gasly who would keep France, while explaining that Spa was his "favorite circuit", or the Monegasque Charles Leclerc who "prefers Spa as a circuit", but who has a privileged link with the south -east of France where he started in karting.

"What if we changed the circuit?" Vettel offers: Magny-Cours, which has hosted F1 18 times - as many as Le Castellet after Sunday - is "better than here" according to him.

"Le Mans has a long history, it would be a unique place, with a long lap which could be exciting. Dijon too, it's shorter but it's quite nice".

"Brutal"

The location of Le Castellet on the Plateau de Signes, far from a city center, like that of Spa in the Ardennes hills, could also be a brake for F1, which loves urban circuits (Monaco, Singapore, Baku, Las Vegas) or in any case close to a city center and logistics and hotel facilities.

Mexican Sergio Perez at the wheel of his Red Bull during free practice for the French GP at Le Castellet on the Plateau de Signes on July 23, 2022 Sylvain THOMAS AFP

Above all, France and Belgium seem less well armed financially in the face of "new" American or Middle Eastern comers (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Qatar in 2023).

"It's good to have a world plateau, the sport is becoming more democratic, in a basin like North America it's normal to have more GPs, on the other hand to have five or six in the Middle East I don't am not sure", nuance Laurent Rossi.

If the Middle East offers "potentially more means, we must also see the ability to monetize historic Grands Prix like Spa, where the whole legend is at least as interesting", he continues.

And the boss of Alpine concludes: "we must also keep the roots of sport, anchored in Europe, in France. It would be brutal and potentially risky to cut ourselves off from that".

© 2022 AFP