Race and classic pictures

The last all-French team to race in Formula 1

©EricBernardArchive/RainerSchlegelmilch

Formula 1 has once again within its ranks an all-French team – including its drivers – for the first time in 29 years!

Alpine's unveiling on Thursday of its 2023 challenger that will be entrusted to Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly begged the question: when was the last time an all-French outfit graced the grid in F1?

Well, one has to travel all the way back to the 1994 season to find a full red, white and blue effort.

The team was Ligier, and the drivers were Oliver Panis and Eric Bernard. Together, the pair scored only four top-ten finishes that year, but there was however one remarkable collective result for 'les bleus'.

At the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, Panis and Bernard surrounded Ferrari driver and race winner Gerhard Berger on the podium. Sacré bleu!

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Mekies: ‘We all agree’ F1 must bring back flat-out qualifying

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has made it clear: Formula 1 must rediscover the…

4 hours ago

‘Rusty, me?’: Perez fires back at Andretti’s Cadillac claim

Sergio Perez isn’t taking lightly the suggestion that his return to Formula 1 with Cadillac…

6 hours ago

Formula 1’s heartfelt gift to new dad Fernando Alonso

While Aston Martin’s F1 car is currently giving Fernando Alonso some massive engine vibrations and…

7 hours ago

Hill says unhappy Verstappen ‘should stop and do something else’

For a driver who has spent years bending F1 to his will, Max Verstappen suddenly…

8 hours ago

‘He’s up against it’: Brundle fears Sainz facing career dead end in F1

For Carlos Sainz, what was meant to be a strong second season at Williams is…

10 hours ago

Alonso’s brutal verdict: ‘High-speed corners now charging stations’

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has delivered another withering verdict on Formula 1’s 2026 regulations…

11 hours ago