The announcement was expected. F1 boss Stefano Domenicali announced today in an interview with several media including L’Equipe that France would not appear in the 2023 calendar. After having already left France between 2009 and 2017, the premier category of motorsport has returned since 2018 to the Paul-Ricard circuit in Le Castellet.
More and more competitors have been added in recent years with, for example, Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia or Miami and soon in Las Vegas, so that several historic races are threatened for next season. If the boss of F1 has already drawn a line under France, Belgium (whose Grand Prix will take place this Sunday on the Spa circuit) and Monaco are also threatened.
Regarding France, Stefano Domenicali leaves the door ajar for the future. “We are still in discussions with the Federation and even the Government,” he says. But he also warns that the calendar will not exceed 24 races, which necessarily limits the number of possible hosts.
Since the return of the French Grand Prix to Le Castellet, Lewis Hamilton (2018, 2019) and Max Verstappen (2021, 2022) have each won twice on the Paul-Ricard track. The race had not taken place in 2020 due to the pandemic.