So I put together a preview and spent a few hours this afternoon doing it.... I finished it, and then hit submit for the post to get lost as the forun had logged me out whilst putting it altogether. Pissed off!.
Anyway, after a quick walk round the block to clear my head here goes again as I try to remember all I had written. This time I will save it in notepad first before I hit submit so I dont lose it all again. A lot of it is basically stuff found online.
2019 F1 PIRELLI GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE
After the drama and controversy in Canada it's time for the French GP and the opening act of F1's first double header of the season.
It's another crucial race as we head towards a hectic and often-defining summer in the championship.
Ferrari will be aiming to put Montreal behind them - even though they are still challenging Sebastian Vettel's race-losing penalty - and the team say they have a "few small evolutions" on their car this weekend as they look for their first victory of the season.
It's all been going Mercedes' way so far this season, and Lewis Hamilton's in the last three races, but the championship leaders are expecting a tough fight on a track that features long straights, as well as several corners that should favour their impressive W10.
Last year's race, the first back at Paul Ricard since 1990, was a cracker after Sebastian Vettel collided into Valtteri Bottas into Turn One and we're braced for another entertaining weekend.
Last years results and a highlights video
POS NO DRIVER CAR LAPS TIME/RETIRED PTS
1 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 53 1:30:11.385 25
2 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 53 +7.090s 18
3 7 Kimi Räikkönen FERRARI 53 +25.888s 15
4 3 Daniel Ricciardo RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 53 +34.736s 12
5 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 53 +61.935s 10
6 20 Kevin Magnussen HAAS FERRARI 53 +79.364s 8
7 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 53 +80.632s 6
8 55 Carlos Sainz RENAULT 53 +87.184s 4
9 27 Nico Hulkenberg RENAULT 53 +91.989s 2
10 16 Charles Leclerc SAUBER FERRARI 53 +93.873s 1
11 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI 52 +1 lap 0
12 2 Stoffel Vandoorne MCLAREN RENAULT 52 +1 lap 0
13 9 Marcus Ericsson SAUBER FERRARI 52 +1 lap 0
14 28 Brendon Hartley SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO HONDA 52 +1 lap 0
15 35 Sergey Sirotkin WILLIAMS MERCEDES 52 +1 lap 0
16 14 Fernando Alonso MCLAREN RENAULT 50 DNF 0
17 18 Lance Stroll WILLIAMS MERCEDES 48 DNF 0
NC 11 Sergio Perez FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 27 DNF 0
NC 31 Esteban Ocon FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 0 DNF 0
NC 10 Pierre Gasly SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO HONDA 0 DNF 0
Note - Sirotkin had 5 seconds added to his race time for driving unnecessarily slowly behind the Safety Car.
In current news, Honda are bringing yet another engine upgrade to Ricard....
Honda have made good gains with their Formula 1 power unit of late and as part of their plan to close the gap to the class leaders even further, they are bringing their second in-season upgrade to this weekend’s French Grand Prix. They are reporting a power increase but still think they are shy of Ferrari and Mercedes.
It comes just four races after their last upgrade, but whereas spec 2 was introduced primarily for reliability with a resulting small power boost, spec 3 is focused on performance, with the data from Honda's dynos at Sakura suggesting they have found a power increase over the last upgrade.
Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly plus Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat will receive the upgraded internal combustion engine (ICE) and turbocharger. It means Kvyat will get a grid penalty for exceeding his ICE allocation.
Toro Rosso have opted not to give Kvyat’s team mate Alexander Albon the new spec to avoid both drivers receiving grid penalties at the same race.
Honda also revealed their latest development is the result of a collaboration with the Japanese manufacturer’s Aero engine department – otherwise known as Honda Jet – as well as working alongside turbocharger manufacturer IHI.
“The changes to the previous specification are mainly around the ICE and the turbocharger,” said Honda F1 Technical Director Toyoharu Tanabe. “In this instance, our engineers at the Sakura, Japan R&D facility have worked closely with other departments within Honda, specifically the Aero engine development department.
“In producing this Spec 3 PU, we have updated the turbocharger thanks to the knowledge and technology of the Aero engine department in the area of aerodynamic design.
“Our test bench data shows a power increase over the previous version of our PU, however we know that we have not yet matched the figures from the manufacturers currently leading the championship.
“But it’s a step in the right direction and we will continue our development throughout the rest of the season, calling on the resources of the whole company.”
Kimi Raikkonen has said Alfa are bringing new parts that it is hoped will improve the tyre problems they have suffered since their early season pace dropped off.
Ferrari will have "a few small evolutions" at the French Grand Prix that will be key to defining the development direction it takes with its 2019 Formula 1 car.
OK here is a bit of track info.....
Circuit Paul Ricard
Or in headache form....
First Grand Prix at Ricard
1971
Number of Laps
53
Circuit Length
5.842km
Race Distance
309.69 km
Lap Record
1:34.225 Valtteri Bottas (2018)
For a Lol here is a video of the circuit and how to attack it, by Romain Grosjean.
Why Paul Ricard provides the ultimate test for an F1 car
The Circuit Paul Ricard, does not place an extreme demand on the cars in any one specific area. Rather, it demands a mix of excellence in every area in much the same way as Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The first sector, with its multiple tight turns, demands a lot of a car’s braking, agility and low speed balance and downforce, with sector two incorporating the Mistral Straight and the very fast Signes corner asking a lot of a car’s power and aero efficiency. Then it’s back to agility and direction change in sector three.
In terms of braking, the biggest stop on the circuit is at Turn 8 (the chicane that punctuates the Mistral). Here, the cars approach at around 332kph (206mph) and brake down to 192km/h (119mph). They shed 140km/h (87mph) in just 1.51s, according to brake manufacturer Brembo.
Although the circuit isn’t particularly demanding of the brakes around the lap (unlike Montreal), that’s still a very big single braking demand. Lap time will still be shaved by finding the best compromise solution between braking power and brake cooling via the size of the aerodynamically disruptive ducts. Improving the cooling efficiency of the carbon fibre discs will allow you to minimise the duct size.
The latest disc by Carbon Industrie, as modelled on the Red Bull since Monaco (combined here with a Brembo caliper), shows how sophisticated this cooling has now become. As well as featuring over 1,200 cooling holes in the disc, they are arranged part diagonally and part inline, enhancing the swirl of the airflow through them, effectively inducing the air to pass through them faster and thereby increasing the cooling effect.
In terms of aerodynamics, after the unusual high and low downforce set ups from Monaco and Montreal respectively, we'll be back to conventional rear wing levels here, similar to Barcelona. It will be interesting to monitor whether Red Bull will retain the ‘no-hole’ nose it used at Monaco and Montreal or whether the original ‘nose with hole’ returns. The latter will boost the airflow capacity to the underfloor, helping create more total downforce, but more specifically at the rear than the front. Around the slow corners of both Monaco and Montreal it was felt that front end downforce to give an adequate front-rear balance was more important than total downforce.
Similarly, the ears around the S duct exits of the Alfa and, at Montreal, the McLaren, which speed up the flow from the duct, may be deemed counter-productive on a track with a more conventional balance of faster corners and straights. Expect to see McLaren continue with the aerodynamically aggressive mirror mounts introduced in Montreal. The mounting pillar connecting the mirrors to the bargeboards has enabled the aero team to make accompanying changes that enhance the separation of the outwash airflow around the tyres from that down the body sides.
Paul Ricard is deemed moderately demanding of the tyres by Pirelli and the compound choice made here is the same as at Melbourne, China and Baku, harder than at Monaco and Montreal, softer than in Bahrain and Spain. Because of the re-alignment of the compounds since 2018, they are slightly harder than were brought here last year. However, because Paul Ricard was one of the few tracks at which the – now universal - thin gauge tyres were used in 2018, the effect won’t be magnified. The thinner gauge effectively makes the tyres harder in compound.
The tyre is essentially an energy store and as the contact patch is squeezed into the tiny gaps between the track surface granules, so the energy is stored and then deployed for either braking or cornering load. The further into the gaps the rubber can be pushed, the greater the store and therefore the available grip. This is partly why a soft compound is faster than a hard and also why more downforce equals more tyre grip. For this year the track has been resurfaced, and although it’s of a very similar roughness to previously, typically the release of substances from the asphalt itself can make a fresh surface relatively gripless – thereby even further enhancing the power of downforce.
From F1.com
Quickfire stats
*Sebastian Vettel broke a pole drought in Canada, but he hasn't won a race since last August's Belgian GP - a run of 15 races he will be looking to end at Paul Ricard
*Lewis Hamilton, last year's race winner, has claimed 11 victories in that time. He can move to within 12 of Michael Schumacher's all-time win record this weekend
*All three French drivers were involved in first-lap collisions last year, and only Romain Grosjean finished the race. Esteban Ocon, who won't race this year, and Pierre Gasly retired on Lap One
*Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen are the only former French GP pole-sitters and the only former French GP race winners in this year's entry. Of the rest of the field, only Valtteri Bottas can claim a previous front row in France and Max Verstappen can claim a podium.
*The next front row lock-out for either Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren or Williams will be their 63rd and beat the all-time record the all currently jointly hold.
Race lap record: 1:34.225.
Ultimate lap record: 1:30.029
When was the Ricard track built?
Work began on pastis magnate Paul Ricard’s track in 1969, with French racers Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Henri Pescarolo acting as consultants on the layout. Racing began at the circuit a year later.
When was its first Grand Prix?
Formula 1 hit the Circuit Paul Ricard in 1971, with Jackie Stewart winning the inaugural race in his Tyrrell 003.
What’s the circuit like?
The Circuit Paul Ricard’s even distribution of high-, medium- and low-speed corners is a key reason why it’s one of the most used test circuits in the world (the typically good weather is another). F1 drivers love the 290km/h right-hander at Signes and the 5g joyride of the following Beausset bend, while the circuit’s 2018 return to the F1 calendar showed that the French Grand Prix track is a bit of an overtaking gem.
A bit of History...
Grand Prix motor racing originated in France and the French Grand Prix, open to international competition, is the oldest Grand Prix race, first run on 26 June 1906 under the auspices of the Automobile Club de France in Sarthe, with a starting field of 32 automobiles. The Grand Prix name ("Great Prize") referred to the prize of 45,000 French francs to the race winner.[1] The franc was pegged to the gold at 0.290 grams per franc, which meant that the prize was worth 13 kg of gold, or €191,000 adjusted for inflation. The earliest French Grands Prix were held on circuits consisting of public roads near towns through France, and they usually were held at different towns each year, such as Le Mans, Dieppe, Amiens, Lyon, Strasbourg, and Tours. Dieppe in particular was an extremely dangerous circuit – 9 people (5 drivers, 2 riding mechanics, and 2 spectators) in total were killed at the three French Grands Prix held at the 79 km (49-mile) circuit.
The 1906 race was the first ever Grand Prix, which was an event that originated from the Gordon Bennett Cup races that had started in 1899. This race was run on a 66-mile (106 km) closed public road circuit starting at the western French town of Le Mans, through a series of villages and back again to Le Mans. Hungarian Ferenc Szisz won this very long 12‑hour race on a Renault from Italian Felice Nazzaro in a Fiat, where laps on this circuit took around an hour and the horse carriage road surface was made of dirt.
Rouen, Clermont-Ferrand, even Le Mans… the French Grand Prix has certainly got around since the first world championship event in the country in 1950. As the race returned last year to the calendar for the first time since 2008, at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, find out which French Grand Prix venue rewarded fast-qualifying drivers with 50 bottles of champagne, which one was built on a volcano and which one was designed by a wrestler…
1. Reims
Jack Brabham negotiating the Virage Muizon
Winning in Champagne Country...
Races hosted: 11 (1950-1951, 1953-1954, 1956, 1958-1961, 1963, 1966)
Located slap-bang in the middle of champagne country, Reims – which, rather confusingly for Anglophones, is pronounced ‘Rance’ by the locals – hosted the first world championship French Grand Prix in 1950. The road course wends its way through the countryside to the west of Reims, using the D27 as its start/finish line. In fact, you can still see the pit buildings there today…
The roughly triangular track was super-fast, with the layout from 1954 to the track’s demise in 1972 featuring two massive straights, as well as some quick, challenging kinks. After his F1 career was over, Stirling Moss admitted to a neat trick he had for setting quick qualifying laps at Reims – important when there were 50 bottles of champagne up for grabs for the driver who took pole position!
Before his hot lap, Moss would deliberately overrun at the final corner as though he’d missed his braking point, and then use the run up back onto the track to make sure his car was going extra quick when he started his lap. Clever, eh?
After clamouring for attention in the 1960s as the French Grand Prix moved between venues, Reims hosted its final Grand Prix in 1966, with Jack Brabham winning en route to his third title.
Notable race: 1961, when Giancarlo Baghetti won his first – and last – Formula 1 race on his debut, the only rookie in history to ever manage the feat.
Home success: Not much, malheureusement. Robert Manzon and Jean Behra’s brace of third places at the 1954 and 1956 Grands Prix mark the only times a Frenchman ever made the podium at Reims.
2. Rouen
Juan Manuel Fangio engages 'Legend' mode and sends it through the Virage des Six Freres in his Maserati 250F
Niki Lauda taking the cobbled Noveau Monde hairpin
Graham Hill's famous gesture at Rouen, where he lent his visor to Jo Siffert mid-race. Happy Days!
Bruce McLaren, Rouen 1968
Races hosted: 5 (1952, 1957, 1962, 1964, 1968)
Carved into the hillside to the south-west of Rouen, the fearsomely fast four-mile Rouen-les-Essarts track is something of a lost classic. The road course near the town of Orival held just five French Grands Prix, yet is considered by many who drove it to be one of France’s – and even one of Europe’s – greatest tracks.
A tour of the circuit was a lap of two halves, with the first part plunging downhill and ending up at the track’s famous, cobbled Noveau Monde hairpin (now sadly tarmacked over). From there, the road climbs almost 100 metres in altitude, cutting through the forest and back around to the start.
Arguably the most iconic single image associated with Rouen is the photo above, showing Juan Manuel Fangio artfully drifting his Maserati 250F through the Virage des Six Freres. Unfortunately, in common with the Nurburgring, Rouen’s extreme combination of high speeds and undulation proved a deadly cocktail as Formula 1 cars’ downforce-assisted speeds increased throughout the 1960s, with Honda driver Jo Schlesser’s death in 1968 signalling the end of the circuit’s time as an F1-hosting venue.
Notable race: 1962. Dan Gurney won twice at Rouen, with his 1962 victory standing as the only win for Porsche as a constructor in Formula 1.
Home success: Go fish, we’re afraid. Robert Manzon’s fourth place stands as the best finish by a French driver at Rouen.
3. Clermont-Ferrand
Chris Amon's 1972 drive was sensational
“Bravo Stewart, but thank you Mr Amon,” read a French newspaper headline the following day. Matra had won Le Mans in June, and now it had pulled out the stops to conquer the French Grand Prix, too.
Its driver certainly delivered the performance required – only for his infamous bad luck to rob him once again. Then again, the puncture that cost Amon the race did lead to a fabulous, charging comeback.
The Kiwi had been imperious around one of the last great road racing circuits and in many ways it was a performance that would define the career of a Grand Prix great – and a man destined never to win a World Championship race. It must be said, Jackie Stewart’s victory shouldn’t be forgotten, given that Clermont-Ferrand marked his return to the cockpit following treatment for the ulcer that had forced him to miss six weeks of the 1972 season. But in truth, this race was all about Amon. He’d qualified on pole position in the new MS120D, eight tenths clear of Denny Hulme’s McLaren, which joined him on the front row ahead of Stewart and Jacky Ickx’s Ferrari.
From the start the three fastest qualifiers drew away and Amon began to build a gap as Stewart passed Hulme for second on lap 17. But three laps later Stewart emerged in the lead, Amon’s flat left-front tyre leading to a 50sec stop to replace it. The partisan home crowd groaned. Loose stones on the swooping, demanding track had been a problem throughout practice, and one had already cost Helmut Marko his F1 career.
Following Amon’s puncture, Stewart consolidated his lead as Emerson Fittipaldi moved up the order, the pair taking care to avoid the ‘marbles’ that had done so much harm. Amon pushed his wailing V12 to its maximum, throwing caution to the wind as others pitted with punctures. He passed both Ronnie Peterson and François Cevert on one lap, on a twisty circuit at which overtaking was difficult, and at the flag was just four seconds down on Fittipaldi. Denis Jenkinson, not exactly known for dishing out praise, described the drive as “fantastic and almost unbelievable”. It was one that deserved so much more.
The track was based around two extinct volcanoes.
Races hosted: 4 (1965, 1969-1970, 1972)
‘The words of praise that were showered on the circuit were almost embarrassing. "Magnificent, Terrific, Superb, The Best in Europe, Marvellous, Beautiful" were all expressions heard continuously… The circuit of Charade ranks among the best and sorts out those who can drive from those who are just trying to kid us.’
So ran legendary F1 journalist Denis Jenkinson’s report in Motorsport Magazine after the 1972 French Grand Prix.
Winding its way around a pair of extinct volcanos in central France, the Clermont-Ferrand track – or the Circuit de Charade, to give it its proper name – was another fast and undulating road course in the mould of Rouen. Part designed by 1950 Le Mans winner Louis Rosier, racing began at the track in 1958 – although sadly Rosier died before getting to see his project reach fruition. Formula 1 arrived at the circuit in 1965, with Jim Clark taking victory that year in his Lotus 25.
The track was a full five miles long and, with its lack of straights and assortment of over 50 corners, resembled a tarmac rally stage more than a Grand Prix circuit. It was so undulating, in fact, that 1967 world champion Denny Hulme reckoned that drivers continued to wear open-face helmets at Clermont-Ferrand so that they could throw up more easily!
Grand Prix racers were smitten, however, with Stirling Moss once remarking: “I don't know a more wonderful track than Charade.” Constant problems with rocks falling onto the circuit – which ended up costing current Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko an eye back in 1972 – and a lack of space to put in run-off areas sadly put paid to Charade’s spot on the F1 calendar.
Notable race: 1972. Matra’s Chris Amon was romping away to what would have been his maiden F1 win, but a long pit stop cost him victory. However, Amon’s recovery drive from eighth to third, during which he broke the lap record three times, was so good that the officials insisted he take a lap of honour along with winner Jackie Stewart.
Home success: Nearly – Jean Pierre Beltoise finished second to his Matra stable mate Jackie Stewart at the 1969 race.
4. Le Mans
Used by the local race driving school.... not liked by F1. The cars went slower down the pit straight than Le Mans racers
Races hosted: 1 (1967)
The George Lazenby of French Grands Prix in that, like Lazenby’s James Bond, it only made one ever appearance, the decision to hold the 1967 French Grand Prix at the newly-opened Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans was a controversial one.
Dubbed ‘The Grand Prix of the Car Parks’ by detractors before the start of the race, there was little enthusiasm for its layout – Graham Hill famously described it as ‘a real Mickey Mouse type of circuit’ – which used the beginning of the Le Mans 24 Hour course before looping back on itself before the Tertre Rouge corner, with the cars then negotiating a track used by the circuit’s racing school and which, yes, had once been a car park.
Because the pit facilities at Le Mans were built to hold 55 cars, when the 15 Formula 1 machines set up shop, they were dwarfed by the enormous venue, while the crowds were thin on the ground too, with only 20,000 turning up to watch the Grand Prix, compared to the 200,000 who'd watched that year’s Le Mans 24 Hours three weeks earlier. Then there was the fact that the layout of the track meant that the F1 cars weren’t going as fast down the start-finish straight as the Le Mans racers. “Grand Prix cars tended to look slower and rather lost on this large circuit,” reckoned Graham Hill.
In the race, Hill led from pole, going on to trade positions with Lotus team mate Jim Clark before both cars packed up, handing both victory and second place to the two Repco Brabhams of Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme.
Notable race: That would be the 1967 one.
Home success: Afraid not. Guy Ligier, the only Frenchman in the 1967 race, and who would later go on to form his own Ligier team, was unclassified.
5. Circuit Paul Ricard
Ivan Capelli nearly caused an upset in 1990
Emerson Fittipaldi at the first ever French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard in 1971
Races hosted: 14 (1971, 1973, 1975-1976, 1978, 1980, 1982-1983, 1985-1990)
Created in 1969 by a French pastis magnate (we’ll leave you to guess his name) the Circuit Paul Ricard lies between the cities of Marseille and Toulon in the south of France. The dominant feature of the original track – which French racers Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Henri Pescarolo consulted on the design of – was the mile-plus Mistral back straight, which in 1985 saw Swiss driver Marc Surer register a top speed of 210mph in his 1,000bhp Brabham-BMW. That straight, which has since been broken up with a chicane, ends with the classic Signes corner, a dauntingly fast right-hand sweeper that’s still in use today.
Serious accidents for both Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell during the 1985 Grand Prix weekend, coupled with the fatal crash of Elio de Angelis during testing in 1986, caused the track to be reworked, with the overall length reduced from 3.6 to 2.4 miles, a move which slashed lap times by around 30 seconds.
In the intervening years between the last French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard in 1990 and its 2018 return to the F1 calendar – during which time the track has grown back to a 3.6-mile layout – the circuit has sprouted its distinctive blue and red run-off areas. This ‘Blue Zone’ feature is designed to reduce cars’ speed without the need for gravel traps, while still punishing drivers who make a mistake in a corner by making them travel over the abrasive surface.
Notable race: 1990. Alain Prost delighted his home fans by winning the race for Ferrari, but there was nearly a huge upset when the underpowered, Adrian Newey-designed Leyton House CG901s of Ivan Capelli and Mauricio Gugelmin ran first and second early on.
Home success: Plenty. Apart from Prost’s 1990 win, he also won in 1983, 1988 and 1989 at Paul Ricard, while Rene Arnoux won for Renault in 1982.
6. Dijon-Prenois
A proper circuit with great swooping corners...
Who does not know of this classic..... Gilles Villeneuve pips Rene Arnoux in 1979
Carlos Reutemann loses it at the start of the 1977 race
Races hosted: 5 French Grands Prix (1974, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984) and one Swiss Grand Prix (1982)
Almost certainly the only race track in the world conceived by a rugby-playing wrestler, local hero Francois Chambelland opened the Dijon-Prenois circuit in the east of France in 1972, after three years of work and having relied on the consultation expertise of French drivers Francois Cevert and Jean-Pierre Beltoise.
With funds tight and no government money to play with, Chambelland and his team could only afford to build an unusually small track initially, meaning that Ferrari driver Niki Lauda’s pole time for the 1974 Grand Prix was just under 59 seconds. Nevertheless, F1 returned to a longer Dijon-Prenois in 1977, with the track now darting out into the forest to the Parabolique hairpin before rejoining the original circuit – while satellite pictures still show the faint outline of an even longer track that Chambelland had wanted to build.
Character-wise, Dijon-Prenois is defined by its sweeping, fast, off-camber corners, as well as its rising and falling topography, with the gradient as steep as 11% in some places. After F1’s 1977 return, the track traded Grand Prix hosting duties with Paul Ricard for a number of years – although both tracks were on the calendar in 1982, with Dijon staging the Swiss Grand Prix – before holding its final Formula 1 race in 1984.
Notable race: 1979. Jean-Pierre Jabouille took the first ever win for Renault, and the first ever win for a turbo-powered car… but sadly for Jabouille and Renault, people are more likely to remember the gladiatorial duel for second place between the sister Renault of Rene Arnoux and the Ferrari of Gilles Villeneuve, with the pair passing each other and banging wheels incessantly in the last couple of laps before Villeneuve eventually came out on top in the fight.
Home success: Apart from Jabouille’s win, Alain Prost also triumphed at Dijon in 1981.
7. Magny-Cours (AKA Magny Bores)
Races hosted: 18 (1991-2008)
The French Grand Prix’s most decorated track in terms of races held, Magny Cours – aka the Circuit de Nevers – was built in 1960. In its early life, it was most famous as the base for the Winfield Racing School, a proving ground for young talent which saw the likes of Francois Cevert, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Jacques Laffite and Jean Alesi pass through its doors. After falling into disrepair in the 1980s, the track was bought and refurbished by the Regional Conseil de la Nievre and, in 1991, hosted its first of 18 Formula 1 Grands Prix. Eight of those 18 races were won by Michael Schumacher, who seemed to have an affinity with the super-smooth track in central France.
The circuit’s distinguishing feature is its unashamed copy-and-pasting of parts of other tracks. Corners like Estoril, Nurburgring, Imola and Adelaide aren’t just hat tips to other famous race circuits – they’re corners that have been lifted wholesale from them! That made it an exciting and rewarding track for drivers to attack, with Lewis Hamilton recently saying: “I loved it when we used to have the Grand Prix in Magny-Cours.”
Notable race: 1999. After a downpour at the track, some clever strategy from the Jordan pit wall allowed Heinz-Harald Frentzen to one-stop in the wet conditions and take the team’s second Grand Prix victory.
Home success: Just the one home win, for Alain Prost in a Williams in 1993.
Previous (WDC) Race Winners
Year Driver Constructor Location Report
2018 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Paul Ricard Report
2017
–
2009 Not held
2008 Brazil Felipe Massa Ferrari Magny-Cours
2007 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari
2006 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2005 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault
2004 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2003 Germany Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW
2002 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2001 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2000 United Kingdom David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes
1999 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Jordan-Mugen-Honda
1998 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
1997 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
1996 United Kingdom Damon Hill Williams-Renault
1995 Germany Michael Schumacher Benetton-Renault
1994 Germany Michael Schumacher Benetton-Ford
1993 France Alain Prost Williams-Renault
1992 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault
1991 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault
1990 France Alain Prost Ferrari Paul Ricard
1989 France Alain Prost McLaren-Honda
1988 France Alain Prost McLaren-Honda
1987 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda
1986 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda
1985 Brazil Nelson Piquet Brabham-BMW
1984 Austria Niki Lauda McLaren-TAG Dijon
1983 France Alain Prost Renault Paul Ricard
1982 France René Arnoux Renault
1981 France Alain Prost Renault Dijon
1980 Australia Alan Jones Williams-Ford Paul Ricard
1979 France Jean-Pierre Jabouille Renault Dijon
1978 United States Mario Andretti Lotus-Ford Paul Ricard
1977 United States Mario Andretti Lotus-Ford Dijon
1976 United Kingdom James Hunt McLaren-Ford Paul Ricard
1975 Austria Niki Lauda Ferrari
1974 Sweden Ronnie Peterson Lotus-Ford Dijon
1973 Sweden Ronnie Peterson Lotus-Ford Paul Ricard
1972 United Kingdom Jackie Stewart Tyrrell-Ford Charade
1971 United Kingdom Jackie Stewart Tyrrell-Ford Paul Ricard
1970 Austria Jochen Rindt Lotus-Ford Charade
1969 United Kingdom Jackie Stewart Matra-Ford
1968 Belgium Jacky Ickx Ferrari Rouen
1967 Australia Jack Brabham Brabham-Repco Le Mans
1966 Australia Jack Brabham Brabham-Repco Reims
1965 United Kingdom Jim Clark Lotus-Climax Charade
1964 United States Dan Gurney Brabham-Climax Rouen
1963 United Kingdom Jim Clark Lotus-Climax Reims
1962 United States Dan Gurney Porsche Rouen
1961 Italy Giancarlo Baghetti Ferrari Reims
1960 Australia Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax
1959 United Kingdom Tony Brooks Ferrari
1958 United Kingdom Mike Hawthorn Ferrari
1957 Argentina Juan Manuel Fangio Maserati Rouen
1956 United Kingdom Peter Collins Ferrari Reims
1955 Not held
1954 Argentina Juan Manuel Fangio Mercedes Reims
1953 United Kingdom Mike Hawthorn Ferrari
1952 Italy Alberto Ascari Ferrari Rouen
1951 Italy Luigi Fagioli
Argentina Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo Reims
1950 Argentina Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo
Pre WDC era
1949 France Charles Pozzi Delahaye Saint-Gaudens
Monaco Louis Chiron Talbot-Lago Reims
1948 France Jean-Pierre Wimille Alfa Romeo
1947 Monaco Louis Chiron Talbot-Lago Lyon-Parilly
1946–1940 Not held
1939 Germany Hermann Paul Müller Auto Union Reims
1938 Germany Manfred von Brauchitsch Mercedes
1937 Monaco Louis Chiron Talbot Montlhéry
1936 France Jean-Pierre Wimille
France Raymond Sommer Bugatti
1935 Germany Rudolf Caracciola Mercedes-Benz
1934 Monaco Louis Chiron Alfa Romeo
1933 Italy Giuseppe Campari Maserati
1932 Italy Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo Reims
1931 Monaco Louis Chiron
Italy Achille Varzi Bugatti Montlhéry
1930 France Philippe Étancelin Bugatti Pau
1929 United Kingdom William Grover-Williams Bugatti Le Mans
1928 United Kingdom William Grover-Williams Bugatti Saint-Gaudens
1927 France Robert Benoist Delage Montlhéry
1926 France Jules Goux Bugatti Miramas
1925 France Robert Benoist
France Albert Divo Delage Montlhéry
1924 Italy Giuseppe Campari Alfa Romeo Lyon
1923 United Kingdom Henry Segrave Sunbeam Tours
1922 Italy Felice Nazzaro Fiat Strasbourg
1921 United States Jimmy Murphy Duesenberg Le Mans
1920–1915 Not held
1914 Germany Christian Lautenschlager Mercedes Lyon
1913 France Georges Boillot Peugeot Amiens
1912 France Georges Boillot Peugeot Dieppe
1911–1909 Not held
1908 Germany Christian Lautenschlager Mercedes Dieppe
1907 Italy Felice Nazzaro Fiat
1906 Hungary Ferenc Szisz Renault Le Mans
In terms of constructors, Ferrari are by far the most successful team at the French GP, with well over twice the wins of any other team....
Wins Constructor Years won
17 Ferrari 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1968, 1975, 1990, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
8 Williams 1980, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2003
7 Lotus 1963, 1965, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978
6 Renault 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 2005
5 McLaren 1976, 1984, 1988, 1989, 2000
1 Mercedes 2018
2 Alfa Romeo 1950, 1951
Red Bull have never won the fRENCH gp (mainly because it has not been run much since their arrival)
However, Honda engines have won 4 times, in1986, 1987, 1988, 1989
A few notable events from French GP History
Prost Wins Chaotic Paul Ricard Classic | 1989 French Grand Prix
In many ways the Circuit Paul Ricard is the home of modern F1 in France. It opened in 1970 just as drivers like Henri Pescarolo, Jean Pierre-Beltoise and François Cevert were beginning to make waves in the world of motorsport and French manufacturers like Matra and Renault were winning races in sportscars and single seaters.
Ahead of its time in terms of facilities, the circuit offered a variety of configurations. With a monster 1.8km straight and fast sweeping corners, it soon became a popular venue, not just for wheel-to-wheel competition, but also for testing purposes.
Plus, the circuit’s location close to the sun-soaked millionaire’s playground of the French Riviera was no bad thing for party-hungry drivers…
As with pretty much all motorsport facilities, Paul Ricard has been the scene of unforgettable racing thrills and tragic lows.
Back in 1985 Swiss driver Marc Surer hit the 210mph mark, then a top-speed for an F1 car, underlining the circuit’s appeal for testing cars to the limit. Despite the relatively advanced facilities, these speeds inevitably led to problems.
In 1985 Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell both experienced huge accidents and were lucky to escape serious injury. One year later the popular and fast Italian Elio De Angelis was killed testing his Brabham BMW. These incidents led to a shortening of the track to reduce speeds.
On the other hand, happier events at Circuit Paul Ricard have included Alain Prost’s quartet of wins in 1983, 1988, 1989, and during F1’s last visit to Paul Ricard in 1990.
Prior to this, Prost’s compatriot René Arnoux kicked off a decade of home success, winning for Renault in 1982, meaning a French driver won 50% of the races held in France during the 1980s.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s Circuit Paul Ricard became a breeding ground for a whole generation of talented French drivers dreaming of a future in F1.
The burgeoning French success in motorsport caught the attention of fuel giant Elf. They soon started pouring huge amounts of francs into promoting and supporting Gallic drivers and talent, most notably with their support of the multiple title-winning Tyrrell F1 team.
The École de Pilotage Winfield was a driver training programme based at Paul Ricard and proved instrumental in taking raw, wide-eyed hopefuls and developing their talents.
Elf became involved thanks to visionary marketing manager François Guiter who would establish Volante Elf as a fiercely competitive racing talent showcase that quickly became the fast route for hopefuls to reach F1.
After hotly contested elimination rounds, drivers would battle it out at a grand final. The winners would be taken under Elf’s wing and given a full-funded season in Formula Renault, and if they cut the mustard, a potential Elf-funded route to the heights of F1 would await.
The scheme was integral in establishing the vibrant motorsport scene in France throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Beneficiaries included four-time F1 World Champion Alain Prost and Grand Prix winners Didier Pironi, Jacques Laffite and Olivier Panis.
There has been no shortage of incredibly cool looking and world class French drivers gracing F1, from the tragic François Cevert to drivers like Patrick Depailler who – with the world championship in sight – decided to go hang-gliding and smashed both legs, or title winning dead cert Didier Pironi, who suffered similar injuries in 1982, ending his career.
Behind Prost’s stellar achievements, Jacques Laffite, Patrick Tambay and René Arnoux have come closest to being crowned champion
Ferenc Szisz won the first Grand Prix in history
Some miscellaneous stuff
You can see a copy of the official race programme sold to spectators here:
https://secure.viewer.zmags.com/publica ... f0befb7c/1
If you want to check out your French GP knowledge here is a quiz
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... xxxEj.html
A few more pics.....
Ricard 1987
Last year opening lap touch up....
1972 French GP
July 2, Clermont-Ferrand
Dan Gurney taking the Nouveau Monde hairpin at the bottom of the Rouen-Les Essarts public road circuit during the French Grand Prix on July 8, 1962, in the Porsche 801 flat-8 Grand Prix car. The Porsche was a rather new car and had recently undergone substantial suspension and bodywork revisions based on extensive testing at the Nürburgring. Gurney was not forecast to be particularly competitive – in fact, he was back on the third row of the grid – but with some attrition, he surprised everyone by taking an unexpected victory.
At the start, seen here, Graham Hill in his BRM 57 leapt out to small lead ahead of Jim Clark’s Lotus 25, Bruce McLaren’s Cooper T60 and new F1 driver John Surtees with the Lola 4-Climax. Gurney was back in sixth place but stayed in touch with the leaders. His teammate Joakim Bonnier had the second Porsche 801, but was not at Gurney’s level, the American having received the majority of the Porsche mechanics’ attention during practice.
Before long McLaren stopped at the pits, but continued a couple of laps in arrears while Brabham brought his Lotus in to retire with broken suspension. At half distance it was Graham Hill still out in front with Clark’s Lotus in second and now Gurney up to third. Clark set a new lap record, but the decided all was not well with his car and came into the pits which left Hill in the lead by some 30 seconds over Gurney while Surtees’ Lola was third but a lap down. Then, with 12 laps to go, Hill pulled off at Nouveau Monde with injection troubles which gave Gurney the lead which he carefully held to the finish. The tail-enders also found that it pays to keep running as Tony Maggs with his Lotus was second one lap down and Richie Ginther in the second works BRM was third, two laps behind.
