The Formula 1 Grand Prix de France, which takes place on Sunday at Le Castellet in the Var, is a "total aberration" for environmentalists in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
“We allow, for the occasion, spectators to park in wooded classified spaces which risk igniting at the slightest discarded cigarette butt.
We assume, for the occasion, to block roads, to generate traffic jams, to create additional atmospheric pollution (…) How much CO2 will be emitted this weekend by F1?
“, asks Europe Ecology-the Greens Paca in a press release published on Sunday.
The Var, like a large quarter of south-eastern France, was placed on heat wave alert on Sunday and the firefighters were on the alert with a risk of "very severe" forest fire over a large part of the department, including Le Castellet .
In this context, for EELV, "all efforts should be directed towards the fight against fires, the fight against air pollution, the fight for the preservation of natural spaces".
The party therefore asks the president of the region, the ex-LR Renaud Muselier, to "think very seriously about the interest of renewing this competition in the future" on its territory.
The contract has not yet been renewed
The union of the left and environmentalists had withdrawn from the last regional to allow Renaud Muselier to win against the far right.
In exchange, the latter had promised to give them a place in the regional debate and claims to want to make “climate change” his priority.
The future of the French GP is also threatened because the contract has not yet been renewed.
The new generation F1, promoted by the American group Liberty Media, holder of the commercial rights since 2017, is now being exported from Saudi Arabia to Las Vegas and could turn away from one or more historic stages in Europe.
The French round is doing everything to stay on the calendar.
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After the heavy traffic jams of 2018, a vast mobility plan was organized to make access more fluid, events and concerts punctuated the weekend for 200,000 spectators who were expected from Friday to Sunday, a record.
In sporting terms, Charles Leclerc took pole position ahead of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
The race will start at 3 p.m. on the Paul Ricard circuit.
