Flavio Briatore believes Formula 1 should return to France, but only with a race in Paris.
His comments come just days after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem lamented the sport's absence from France since 2022.
"It's good to open up to new countries, but we mustn't forget where the story began," Ben Sulayem told Le Figaro.
Briatore, the outspoken and powerful advisor to Alpine, fully supports the FIA president's view—though he insists F1 should avoid Paul Ricard and Magny-Cours.
"Not at Le Castellet (Paul Ricard) and not at Magny-Cours either, where there is nothing," said the Italian. "In Paris.
"Castellet was impossible for traffic. No, Formula 1 deserves a grand prix in Paris," Briatore added. "Not necessarily in the city centre or under the Eiffel Tower, but Paris would be magnificent. There must be all the hotel capacity to accommodate everyone that F1 attracts—the sponsors, the people who work for Formula 1.
"Everyone wants a grand prix in France. Formula 1 is really missing from France."
Last year, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali acknowledged France's absence, explaining that the French government was prioritising preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games.
"Maybe after that, they will have a little more time for us to come back together on this issue," he told L'Equipe mid-last year.
