“A waste of public money”: Nice residents strongly oppose the motion to host the next French Grand Prix
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French Grand Prix
It is not everyday that the residents of a particular place welcome Formula 1 with arms wide open when the premiere class of motorsports eyes a new venue to set up their Grands Prix at. Previously, when the F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali announced that there would be a Miami Grand Prix, the locals there had vehemently protested against the same because they were concerned with the noise that would disturb their neighborhood among many other things. And now, as the FIA plans to inaugurate the first-ever Nice Grand Prix in France, the residents are up in arms against the proposal.
While the French Grand Prix is held at the historical Circuit de Paul Ricard as of now, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has been considering some other potential venues for the race should their existing contract with the Paul Ricard Circuit be discontinued before the upcoming seasons. Nice, a picturesque city in France, which has become a hub of culture in the recent times, is one of the forerunners in the bid to host the French Grand Prix but its residents are against the idea citing financial and ecological reasons.
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The idea of Nice hosting the next French Grand Prix is not sitting well with the citizens of Nice
Stefano Domenicali has declared that the decision on whether to renew their contract with Circuit de Paul Ricard or to add a new venue to the F1 Calendar for hosting the French Grand Prix will be taken very soon, probably by the end of July. That being said, he is eyeing Nice as the potential new address for the French GP, but is concerned about the locals there who do not wish for the French Grand Prix to be held there.
L’Association Tous Citoyens [All Citizens Association] in Nice has issued a written petition with all the reasons why they believe their city should not host the French Grand Prix, and the document has already garnered over a 1000 signatures in only three days.
David Nakache, President to the All Citizens Association, has said their members are “astonished” at the bid to host the French GP as they believe the public funding that is spent to host the current French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard, would be escalated further if Nice is chosen to be the next Formula 1 host venue.
He said, “We were all astonished, normally the Metropolis votes for projects that take place on the territory of the Metropolis […] At the end of the three years of operation of the French Grand Prix at Le Castellet, they are looking for a new destination and, as if by chance, the city of Nice could host it. In terms of the management of public funds, this is shocking.”
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Riddhi Mondal
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