The historic French Grand Prix dazzles the eyes

A look back at the Historic French Grand Prix, which took place from June 17 to 19, 2022, at the Paul Ricard circuit, offering a guaranteed dive into the past of Formula 1.

Four days of roaring nostalgia transformed the Circuit Paul Ricard into a living museum, as HVM Racing hosted the fourth Historic French Grand Prix from June 17 to 19, 2022, just two weeks before the modern Formula 1 French Grand Prix. The event transformed the asphalt into a parade route for a rare collection of single-seaters spanning three decades, allowing fans to hear the unmistakable roar of the engines that once ruled the sport.

Among the highlights were the first Toro Rosso cars, the STR1 (2006) and STR3 (2008), alongside the elegant 2001 Jaguar R2 and Jean Alesi's 1997 Benetton. The program also celebrated the golden age of the 1970s and 1980s, with a Ligier JS21 and a quartet of March chassis—the 761, 771, 811, and 821—each a testament to a bygone era of engineering.

The entrance to the circuit also served as a showcase, where visitors could admire Alesi's 1993 Ferrari, an impressive Larousse-Lamborghini and a Ligier JS31 displayed next to the main building. Inside the paddock, the legacy continued with the McLaren MP4-9 (1994) and MP4-17D (2003), the very cars that had been driven by Mika Häkkinen and Kimi Räikkönen. A wider assortment of historic machines completed the exhibition, all immortalized in the photo gallery that followed.