Stéphane Burgatt (special correspondent at Le Castellet), edited by Solène Leroux
modified to
8:15 a.m., August 26, 2022
No more French Grand Prix. The big boss of the International Automobile Federation announced it this weekend, in the face of competition from new races on the program, particularly in the Middle East. Formula 1 cars made their return to the Castellet circuit in the Var in 2018.
No more Formula 1 on the Paul-Ricard circuit, no more French Grand Prix. The big boss of the FIA, the International Automobile Federation, announced it in the press this weekend, in the face of competition from new races on the program, particularly in the Middle East. The Formula 1 had made their return to the Castellet circuit in the Var in 2018. The opportunity to take stock. How do tourism professionals perceive this loss in the region? The providers are gray mine.
“A Shockwave”
No more top-of-the-range catering and hotel services around the paddock for Jean-Philippe Carmona, the director of the interim agency Victory, who lets out a long sigh when talking about the news: “It’s a wave shock. From an economic point of view, it will be a huge loss. It still represented 30% of the turnover. This loss is huge, because it was a showcase. We were more than 100 people mobilized over four days .”
The four races that took place on the circuit would have generated more than 250 million euros in economic benefits for the region, according to the public interest group (GIP), promoter of the Grand Prix. The GIP also claims the use of some 12,000 subcontractors.
A decision not final?
But the president of Umih, the Union of hotel and restaurant trades, Var, Jean-Pierre Ghiribelli, puts this loss into perspective. “It’s a shame, because you lose an aura, but in any case it’s not vital,” he says. “This event this year took place from July 22 to 24, but at that time of the year, we are already full. It is a period when there is an increase in customers.”
Especially since the engines will continue to roar at Le Castellet. Certainly for much less prestigious events, but the teams of the Paul-Ricard circuit want to keep hope and assure Europe 1: “Communication is not cut off”, with the big moneymakers of Formula 1.