Prixview – French Grand Prix

Round eight sees the oldest Grand Prix in the world in Le Castellet, southern France. Paul Ricard returned to the calendar in 2018 for the first time since 1990 ending a ten-year hiatus as the race searched for a home after the 2008 financial crisis forced the race off the calendar for the first time since the 1955 Le Mans Disaster.

Paul Ricard held its first race in 1971 alternating with Dijon-Prenois marking the end of racing in France on a street circuit, however its not the circuit we know today known as the short circuit, drivers would turn right at Turn One joining the Mistral Straight after a chicane on the connecting back round the final sector.

The circuit was built by the French industrialist Paul Ricard who wanted to create a circuit after recognising sport as a marketing tool. Built fifty years ago many different versions of this circuit have been used and there are up to 150 different configurations of this circuit.

Paul Ricard circuit is dominated from ariel shots by the Mistral Straight and the right hand Signes corner, although the current circuit used by F1 sees the straight broken up by a chicane forming Turns Eight and Nine. This section of the track was hard on engines often leading to engine failures.

In 1985, Ayrton Senna suffered a big crash following an engine failure going backwards into the barriers. Earlier in practice, Nigel Mansell suffered a concussion following a tyre failure which caused his wing to detach sending him off into the barriers at 200mph.

His teammate Keke Rosberg meanwhile set the then record for highest speed recorded by a Formula One car on the Mistral when he pushed his turbocharged, 1,000 bhp (746 kW; 1,014 PS) Brabham-BMW to 338 km/h (210 mph).

During this time the circuit helped drivers developing the car including the four-times champion Alain Prost who won the French Grand Prix at the circuit in 1983, 1988, 1989 and 1990.

The previous two races at Paul Ricard have seen Mercedes and Sir Lewis Hamilton take victory. In 2018, Hamilton and Bottas had a clear advantage over the Ferraris, with the world champion beating his teammate by two-tenths of a second to take pole. The Englishman managed to pull away from the start while Bottas and Sebastian Vettel crashed into each other.

Vettel was trying to overtake the Finn, but locked up and went into the back of the Mercedes sending him into a spin. That meant he had to stop early and the stewards awarded him a five-second time penalty. The incident inadvertently took Max Verstappen out of contention having taken avoiding action.

Mercedes once again locked out the front row the following year, Hamilton again two and half tenths ahead of Bottas. The team had dominated all three practices with Ferrari being six tenths off and Max Verstappen.

Of course, Grand Prix is French for Grand Prize the very first one was held in 1906 just east of Le Mans. The Grand Prize was 45,000 francs, around €191,000 in today’s money, like many of the period many were run on public roads in places such as Le Mans, Lyon and Strasbourg.

The first race was won by Ferenc Szisz for Renault ahead of Italian Felice Nazzaro, these races were the beginning of the road to Grand Prix championship and F1 as we know it today. Racing however was paused between 1915 and 1921 because of the war.

In that first post-war race American Jimmy Murphy took victory at Le Mans before the race moved to Strasbourg on the French-German border. During the period the race moved over France on different circuits.

The race became a round of the world championship in 1950, that years race is the longest Grand Prix in F1 history 373 miles with Juan Manuel Fangio taking victory in 02:57:52.8 twenty-five seconds ahead of teammate Luigi Fagioli. Rouen would host four more races alternating with Reims over the next decade.

1954 saw the F1 debut for Mercedes, the German manufacturer taking victory before withdrawing from motorsport following the 1955 Le Mans disaster which also led to the cancellation of the following year’s race.

The 1958 race was marred by the fatal accident of Italian Luigi Musso, driving a works Ferrari, and it was also Fangio’s last Formula One race. Hawthorn, who like many other F1 drivers at the time, held Fangio in very high regard; and was about to lap Fangio (driving in an outdated Maserati) on the last lap on the pit straight when he slowed down and let Fangio cross the line before him so the respected Argentine driver could complete the whole race distance.

A one of move to the Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans in 1967 proved unpopular and a few years later the race moved to Paul Ricard. 1972 saw the career of Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko’s racing career brought to an end after being blinded in his left eye after being hit by a stone.

In 1991 after six years being held at Paul Ricard, the race moved to Magny-Cours where it remained for the next eighteen years before a ten-year hiatus. The first race at Magny-Cours saw Nigel Mansell take victory, over the following eighteen years Michael Schumacher would win almost half the races in the period.

Highlights of Magny-Cours’s time hosting the French Grand Prix include Prost’s final of six wins on home soil in 1993, and Michael Schumacher’s securing of the 2002 championship after only 11 races. Schumacher’s 2006 win saw him become the first driver in Grand Prix history to win the same race which was equalled by Hamilton in Budapest last year.

Facts and figures

Fast facts

• While Ferrari have the most wins at the French Grand Prix, however at Paul Ricard Williams and McLaren share the record for the most victories, with three apiece.
• Nigel Mansell and Sir Lewis Hamilton are the only drivers other than Prost to have won at the Paul Ricard track more than once. Mansell won here in 1986 and 1987, while Hamilton has won each of the last two races at the circuit.
• What is now the Alpine team, Renault won the first grand prix, however it would need to wait seventy three years to win in France in 1979.
• The 1996 French Grand Prix, held at Magny-Cours, was the last F1 race to not feature any drivers who had been crowned World Champion. Michael Schumacher qualified on pole but was unable to start the race due to engine problems.
• The podium at the 1982 French Grand Prix was made up entirely of French drivers. Rene Arnoux won the race, and was joined in the top three by Alain Prost and Didier Pironi. Patrick Tambay finished in fourth too!

Event timetable

What happened in 2019?

The fallout from Montreal continued until the sport returned to Europe, Ferrari decided to appeal the result of the race, citing ‘new evidence’. However, the case was rejected following Friday practice session, the evidence was based on analysis by Sky Sports. The FIA deemed a new element but “not significant and relevant.”

Mercedes was in a class of their own, as Sir Lewis Hamilton was two and half tenths faster than teammate Valtteri Bottas. Throughout the weekend the sliver arrows were six tenths ahead of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. An impressive session for McLaren with, Lando Norris just nine-thousandths of a second off Verstappen. Pierre Gasly started ninth and Romain Grosjean while knocked out in Q1 ahead of their home race.

Hamilton went on to dominate the race following a brilliant first corner before going on to build an eighteen second over his teammate Bottas. His ability to manage the tyres proved his advantage, he took victory in France. It was another race where Leclerc continued to rise, he put pressure from the Finn, to secure third.

McLaren looked on course to back up their strong qualifying with Carlos Sainz sixth and Lando Norris seventh in the closing stages. However, the Bristolian was losing hydraulic pressure, a problem that affected his gearshifts and steering and prevented him from using the DRS overtaking aid.

He then ran wide, first losing a place to Ricciardo, then Raikkonen passed him, Norris tried to hang on and then on the final lap was passed by Nico Hulkenberg. He felt annoyed and was heard apologising to McLaren.

None of the French drivers had a good afternoon, Pierre Gasly struggling to keep his tyres alive finishing the race eleventh after starting on the soft tyres. Gasly struggling to keep the tyres alive in the opening stint and faded further after his pit stop.

Romain Grosjean faired no better, the Haas driver the only retirement in the race

Race Result – 1) L. Hamilton, Mercedes, 01:24:31.198, 2) V. Bottas, Mercedes, +18.056, 3) C. Leclerc, Ferrari, +18.985

What to watch for?

The question is in the title race is following Baku where both title rivals Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen failing to score. A key victory could come in Le Castellet, I think this is more a Mercedes circuit, but Red Bull can be close, this is a high speed and downforce and following Baku, Mercedes need a good weekend to try to claw back ground after losing the lead in both drivers and constructors.

Paul Ricard is a mixed circuit it features high, medium and low-speed corners making it a good all-round test for teams and drivers, there are opportunities for overtaking and the drivers should be close. Hamilton as we know has won the last two races here, this circuit can play to the strengths of Mercedes like we saw in Portimao and Barcelona.

Ferrari are likely to slip behind Red Bull and Mercedes, they know that at this type of circuit they have been weaker but not as far behind as this is a high-speed circuit. You need to believe that McLaren had a quieter race in Baku in terms of grabbing performance.

I think McLaren are likely to be quick and possibly ahead of Ferrari, they have the Mercedes engine and Lando Norris have been very quick at this type of circuit. But the midfield battle has to be close again, I think we should move forwards in this season being open minded about this midfield battle as its changing race by race.

Aston Martin appeared to make a breakthrough as did Sebastian Vettel in Baku, so are they able to use that as into getting their season back on track and begin to challenge McLaren and Alpha Tauri? I think the answers may become clearer in the coming weeks as Baku is a very hard circuit to draw long term conclusions from.

Fernando Alonso believes this is the race we should start judging his return from his two-year break from the sport. We need to see something if we are to say whether this has been a success or not His teammate Esteban Ocon is at his home race and he has certainly performed well against Alonso.

2019 vs 2018 Race Data

A lap of Paul Ricard

Lewis Hamilton begins accelerating as he exits Virage du Pont, putting the power down on the outside on the long run to Verriere. He then heads to line his Mercedes down the middle of the track, keeps going all the way to the inside before breaking a 100m before Verriere. Running close to the apex before crossing to turn two. Going through the kink he carries speed until he breaks for Chicane. He hits the apexes and stays in low speed approaching five, that leads him through Saint Beaurne.

He then puts the power down on exit of the corner and through L’ecole, going onto the first part of the Mistral Straight. Carrying the speed to the chicane breaking, before hitting the apex, gets good exit putting the power down. Goes to the outside for Signes, backs off brief through Beausset running the car to the outside before returning to the apex.

Slows the car and crosses the track through Bendor, runs closes to the apex through Village and slow through Tour. Gets good exit carries speed through Virage du Pont and carries it across the line.

Tyres