Proposed plans to take Formula 1 to Nice, France, are hitting an early roadblock.
When pointed out to him that the current French Grand Prix at the Paul Ricard circuit or maybe even the iconic Monaco Grand Prix, could be replaced by a Formula 1 race in Nice, French driver Esteban Ocon confirmed he was enthusiastic about the idea:
“It’s a pity if we lose Paul Ricard, but if we can find a solution that allows us to have the French GP in Nice together with Monaco, then it’s not so bad.” – said the Alpine driver.
British Formula One journalist Joe Saward recently reported about a possible Formula 1 Grand Prix in Nice on his blog:
“Stefano Domenicali gave no details, but the rumour mill threw up that the idea is to lay out a street track around the Allianz Riviera stadium, in the Saint-Isidore district, in the Var valley to the west of the city, adjacent to the ring road that loops around Nice, en route to Monaco and the Italian border. It is a relatively new neighbourhood, carved out of what used to be farmland, with the stadium opening in 2013. It is the home of the local soccer team OGC Nice and is used also by the Toulon rugby club. The only link to motorsport is that there is a street named after the late F1 driver Jules Bianchi, who died in 2015, after a crash in Japan in 2014. This would be incorporated into the circuit. The history of racing in Nice is quite impressive and pre-dates Monaco, as the first Nice Speed Week was held in 1897, and the celebrated Nice-La Turbie hillclimb, one of the biggest early events, ran from 1901 onwards. There were land speed records set on the Promenade des Anglais and there was a Nice Grand Prix in the 1930s and then again post-war. The 1946 race is often said to have been the first event run to Formula 1 rules.” – Joe Saward wrote on the matter.
However, as reported by French broadcaster BMFTV, a large group of locals are much less happy with the idea. An opposition group commissioned a petition five days ago and there are already over 1000 signatories who bemoan the “waste of public money” and an “ecological aberration” that would be a “brake on living standards in the city”.
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David Nakache is in charge of the opposition group and feels “shocked” by the financial details of the proposed deal to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix:
“Two years ago, the Metropolis voted for a subsidy of the grand prix in Le Castellet. Now, at the end of the three years, they are looking for a new destination and, as luck would have it, the city of Nice would welcome it. In terms of the management of public funds, it is shocking.”
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