Paul Ricard reprofiling and resurfacing, 2021

Formula 2 adds French Grand Prix support races

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Formula 2 has announced it will race alongside the French Grand Prix this year, following the cancellation of its round in Sochi.

Formula 1 confirmed today that it will not replace the cancelled Russian Grand Prix on its schedule. F2 had also been set to race at Sochi until the September event was cancelled in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

However F2 had indicated it intended to replace its lost round. Series CEO Bruno Michel told press before its last event at Imola that “we’re working to replace Sochi and I think we’ll be able to announce something quite soon.”

F2 had “told the teams already that we would go along with 14 [rounds] this year,” he added.

The French Grand Prix had been the only European round where no Formula 2 nor Formula 3 races were billed. F2 will join W Series as the support categories for the Paul Ricard event.

The race’s position in the calendar means F2 will have four double-header rounds in the space of five weeks. Silverstone falls from 1st-3rd July, the Spielberg round from 8th-10th, Le Castellet then two weeks later on 22nd-24th and Budapest from 29th-31st. F2 will hold 28 races this year, its longest-ever calendar.

The gap left by Sochi’s absence in September remains unfilled, leaving a gap of more than two months between the Monza event on 9th-11th September until the Yas Marina finale on 18-20th November.

It will be the first time F1’s top feeder series has raced at the French venue since 2019. The feature race was won by that year’s eventual champion Nyck de Vries. The sprint victory was taken by French driver Anthoine Hubert, his final win before he was killed in a crash during the Spa round two months later.

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Hazel Southwell
Hazel is a motorsport and automotive journalist with a particular interest in hybrid systems, electrification, batteries and new fuel technologies....

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8 comments on “Formula 2 adds French Grand Prix support races”

  1. Of all the races they chose le castellet. I don’t know why but it seems like every french track has it downside. Paul Ricard has “plastic gravel”, Magny-Course was in the middle of nowhere, Bugatti circuit was just awful, Pau is a mega track but they only can race F4 cars there, Le Mans is too long ;).

    1. Well, it’s been a boring track for F1 tracks. F2 is different and you rarely have races that feel processional. I think it will be fine

    2. @qeki Ledenon? Nogaro? Val de Vienne?

      1. @wsrgo Too many people don’t know about those tracks

    3. At least they didn’t replace a great track with Paul Ricard @queki, I doubt it will be any worse than the Sochi races (at least no jumping the first or second corner stuff here).

    4. RandomMallard
      19th May 2022, 17:52

      @qeki I think realistically, it was the only choice they had to remain in a sensible operating budget. Paul Ricard was the only European F1 race not have F2 or F3 support, so adding that is not only better for the French weekend (more support races) but it also keeps F2 in Europe. The only other options would have entailed transporting the entire F2 circus to one of the Americas or to Asia, which would likely have caused the costs to skyrocket. It’s not the best track in the world, that’s for sure, but it’s the one that probably makes the most sense.

  2. I hate the look of this track so much!

  3. F2 will hold 28 races this year, its longest-ever calendar.

    Liberty will be livid off the back of F1s “longest ever calendar” attempt failing again. They’ll also be jealous of 28 races!

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