Why This Year's F1 French Grand Prix is Likely to Be the Last

• Formula 1’s French Grand Prix was revived only in 2018, following a decade-long absence.

• The initial five-year contract (2020’s round was canceled due to the pandemic, and no add-on year granted) expires after 2022, with no signal that a new deal is in the offing.

• As Formula 1 nears a 24-event calendar, there is insufficient room at the inn and France is set to be first to be handed its last orders.

Formula 1’s French Grand Prix markets itself as "La Summer Race" but 2022’s edition could be called "La Final Race."

Formula 1’s French Grand Prix was revived only in 2018, following a decade-long absence, in one of the last deals completed prior to Liberty Media’s acquisition of the championship in 2017.

There is a general ambivalence towards the event at Circuit Paul Ricard with the track layout—complete with its garish run-off areas—merely just alright: not great, not terrible.

Last year’s round was undoubtedly the best yet, with Max Verstappen beating Lewis Hamilton during the closing stages of a race that featured converging strategies. But this upcoming iteration is expected to be France’s swan song.

The initial five-year contract (2020’s round was canceled due to the pandemic and no add-on year granted) expires after 2022, with no signal that a new deal is in the offing.

Formula 1 is actively exploring new territories, with Las Vegas joining in 2023, 2021 debutant Qatar beginning a 10-year deal next season, while China is slated to return Covid-permitting. Discussions are ongoing with South Africa race officials about a prospective return, potentially as early as 2023, though hope fades the longer uncertainty lingers.

Nonetheless, as Formula 1 nears a 24-event calendar, there is insufficient room at the inn and France is set to be first to be handed its last orders.