Paris is set to host the 30th edition of the modern Olympics, with the French capital staging the event from 26 July-11 August 2024.
This will see athletes from across the globe compete for glory in 329 events across 32 different sports, with the United States of America arriving as the defending champions having topped the medal table at the Tokyo games in 2021.
Some of those sports include sprinting, where Italy’s Marcell Jacobs is reigning champion of the men’s 100 metres, cycling with Great Britain currently holding six gold medals and skateboarding which made its debut in Japan.
But motorsport did not feature at the last Olympics nor will it be present in Paris, so has it ever been part of the summer games?
Motorsport’s history at the Summer Olympics
Motorsport has featured twice at the Summer Olympics, though neither event was considered to be officially part of the programme.
That’s because when it first appeared in 1900, also hosted by Paris, the games were run in conjunction with the World’s Fair which lasted for seven months to celebrate the achievements of the previous century.
Ballooning, cricket and pigeon racing, just to name a few, were all part of the event alongside motorsport which was divided into 14 categories that included two, four, six and seven-seater cars, electric taxis, delivery vans and trucks, amongst others.
But it was more about the manufacturers rather than participants, with many companies joining including Renault and Panhard - both of whom partook in the Paris-Toulouse-Paris race which was arguably the main event.
The 837-mile city-to-city endurance race was split into two categories - small car and large car - and held on open roads set to a time trial. Louis Renault, co-founder of the French company, won the small car race in a Renault 1-2-3, though they were the only starters - eight altogether - to finish.
Meanwhile, France’s Alfred Velghe won the large car race for Mors with Panhard finishing second and third, before medals were handed out to the top three of each event.
Renault also won gold in the two-seater race for cars under 400kg, while Peugeot was another big French manufacturer present as it claimed first in the two-seater race for cars over 400kg, as well as success in various truck sessions.
All bar one of the events were won by a French driver, as USA’s Gilbert Brown claimed gold in the fire truck category.
That was motorsport’s final appearance at the games for 36 years as a rally took place alongside the contentious 1936 Summer Olympics, hosted by Berlin at the time of Nazi regime which used the event to push forward its propaganda.
Yet, with Europe on its way to war, the Nazi party was likely embarrassed when Briton Elizabeth Haig claimed gold in her six-cylinder Singer Nine Le Mans with Joyce Lambert as co-driver.
The Olympic Rally was reprised in 1972 for the Munich games, but this was run before the event started and so cannot be considered part of the Olympics. Gold, silver and bronze medals were also not given, however Jean Todt, who later became Ferrari Formula 1 team principal, won in an Alpine A110.
And even though Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was built for the 1992 games to host cycling, the Olympic committee has not found a place for motorsport ever since.
Motorsport did make an appearance at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires though, as a karting race was added to the programme but only as a demonstration, meaning no medals were awarded.
This saw 300 students from local schools attend all part of an initiative by Felipe Massa, then president of FIA Karting, to have the spectacle part of Paris 2024. The event was held at the Kartodromo in the Autodromo Juan y Oscar Galvez and featured 12 drivers - one boy and one girl - on each team, with 10 drivers being Argentinian and a Brazilian and Chilean also partaking.
One of the Argentines to compete was Franco Colapinto, currently in F2, who won the race from pole alongside Maria Garcia Puig.
This came three years before motorsport was included in the 2021 Olympic Virtual Series, which was launched to boost the popularity of esports with the motor racing event being run on Gran Turismo.
It included a 10-day time trial challenge to qualify, with the top 16 then competing in three races where Italy’s Valerio Gallo emerged victorious.
Motor racing is still part of the series, and France’s Kylian Drumont is the defending champion. Britain’s William Murdoch and Chile’s Angel Inostroza finished second and third at the 2023 edition.
Will motorsport ever be part of the Summer Olympics?
Although Massa’s hopes were shot when karting was not chosen for 2024, there was a chance that motorsport might finally be included in 2028 due to an expanding programme for the Olympics.
Squash and flag football will both make their debut at the Los Angeles games, while cricket and lacrosse are set to return after last appearing in the 20th century.
But motorsport was overlooked, leaving question marks over its chance of being included in the future - especially when its potential format is not straightforward.
Lewis Hamilton has expressed reservations over its possible inclusion, as the seven-time F1 world champion said “I just don’t think it’s an Olympic game”.
Those thoughts were echoed by Max Verstappen, who said: “No, it's not for me. It's too car related.”
That belief is in line with a previous rule on the Olympic Charter, stating “sports, disciplines or events in which performance depends essentially on mechanical propulsion are not acceptable”.
Verstappen added: “You [drivers] didn’t grow up in that Olympic environment; I don't think we belong at the Olympic stage. And that's fine because we have our own championship, which I think is really well received.”
But there are still people out there hoping for motorsport to be included, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is one of them after he carried the Olympic torch through Monaco for this year’s games.
“It was a huge honour for me,” said the Monegasque. “It would be great to have motorsport at the Olympics. However, I think it's a bit more difficult to organise than other sports because we are all driving for different constructors with different cars in Formula 1. But it's definitely possible and I would love to represent Monaco.”
So how they run the event is the main question, but motorsport’s best bet is to have it as a single-make category where drivers all have the same car.
But then, how do they decide which car? Would it be an open cockpit, or a track-focused road car built by a manufacturer that originates from where the games are being held?
There is also the question of the competitors. Should it only be for the 20 drivers in F1 - 15 nationalities are represented on the current grid - or expand the event to those in IndyCar, F2, F3 or even the World Endurance Championship?
And if it is just restricted to one championship, then an advantage is given to Great Britain which is the most represented country in F1. So, to make it fairer, if only one driver from each country can compete, then who represents Team GB - Hamilton, George Russell or Lando Norris?
There is also the option of running the event like 1936 where it was a rally, which might be more straightforward given there isn’t the question of how many races to hold, what track to use or the advantage given to those who set a lap later on. It may be easier to just run a time-trial format throughout the day.
Or, should the event be for motorcycles with MotoGP and superbike riders entering? There are a lot of question marks which would need answering before giving motorsport a potential spot in the Olympics.
