2019 French GP preview: track characteristics, car setup and upgrades. Ferrari has to hope that the aero upgrades will work.

After seven Mercedes victories in a row, Scuderia Ferrari finally wants to initiate a turnaround in France. Leading German automobile magazine Auto motor und sport has collected the latest information about the race in Le Castellet in its preview for French Grand Prix:

After the controversial end of the race in Montreal, Formula 1 in France has to find its way back to normality. This applies not only to the heated discussions in the paddock but also to the action on the track itself. The two extraordinary city circuits in Monaco and Canada are now followed by the Circuit Paul Ricard, a “normal” race track again. For Ferrari, the race at Le Castellet will be an assessment of their position. The question is whether the Italians have really understood their problems since the disappointing outcome in Barcelona: “We’re going to bring some developments to France that will be a step in the direction we want to go with the car,” says team boss Mattia Binotto. “It’s not the solution to our problem yet. But the data is important for the next steps we’re going to take”.

Red Bull is also expecting better chances again. The proportion of straights at Le Castellet is not quite as high as at Montreal. Honda also brings another engine update. The improved power unit is not supposed to provide much more power. However, the improved stability should mean that the sharper engine mappings can be driven longer in the race.

One factor that should also help Mercedes opponents is the weather. At temperatures around 30°C, no team should have problems getting the sensitive Pirelli tyres to the required working temperature. So the fans should not give up hope that Mercedes might be beatable after all.

The track – Circuit Paul Ricard
The construction of the 5.842 kilometre race track at the gates of Le Castellet was financed in 1969 by the spirits manufacturer Paul Ricard. Since then, the circuit has borne the name of the alcoholic drink. Over the years, the responsible persons repeatedly rebuilt the asphalt strip and made different layout variants possible.

Since the farewell of Formula 1 in 1990, the Circuit Paul Ricard has made a name for itself primarily as a venue for motorcycle races and as a test track for long-distance cars. Formula 1 also came back to testing rain tyres in the meantime. Thanks to artificial irrigation, constantly humid conditions can be created.

The most striking feature of the circuit is the 1.8 kilometre long Mistral straight. For Formula 1, however, the full throttle passage was divided into two halves by a chicane. At the 2018 comeback race there was still plenty of overtaking action because the wind blew from the front on the straight and thus intensified the DRS effect. There’s something for every taste in the 15 corners. In the first sector there is a very slow technical section waiting for the pilots. With Turn 10 and Turn 13 there are also two full throttle corners further back. The highest centrifugal forces wait for the pilots in turn 11. The simulations speak of up to 4.1G. A rather below-average value of 325 km/h was calculated as top speed.

The setup:
The chicane in the long straight makes it easier for the engineers to choose the wings. The high number of turns demands an above-average amount of downforce. Since the notches are flat and the newly asphalted surface is level in many places, the undercarriage can be screwed down relatively far. However, the dampers should not be set to the hardest level. Traction is required from the tight corners.

Balance is also an important issue. The quick changes of direction demand a good-natured car. At the expected temperatures of 30°C, the cooling should also be at the top of the engineers’ list. We’ve already seen in Canada how sensitive the tightly clad cars react when too little fresh air comes from outside.

The tyre wear, on the other hand, shouldn’t be a problem. It is to be feared that the combination of new asphalt and relatively hard compounds C2, C3 and C4 will lead to a one-stop race again. The 0.4 millimetre thinner Pirelli rubbers, which will be used on every track this season, were already used last year at Le Castellet.

Upgrades:
After the two city circuits in Monaco and Montreal, the engineers can now finally collect data again on a normal race track. In return, we expect new parts for many cars. Renault has announced the biggest package. We expect changes to the wings, the front, the rear fairing and the cooling. The factory team finally wants to lead the midfield in the home game.

The top teams will also be retrofitted. As already mentioned at the beginning, Ferrari has new parts in its luggage. We’ve heard that modifications have been made to the front wing in particular. At Red Bull, the next Honda expansion stage will make its debut, although the increase in power will be limited. Mercedes is the only one that is still not in the picture when it comes to announcing new parts. But that doesn’t have to mean anything.

Favorites:
After seven Mercedes victories in a row, the question of France’s favourites is of course not difficult. In theory, it shouldn’t be as close for the world championship leaders as it was recently in Canada. The proportion of different types of corners on the Circuit Paul Ricard is significantly higher. Here the Silver Arrow can once again show its all-rounder abilities.

Ferrari has to hope that the aero upgrades will work and that the tires will go into the right window. The high outside temperatures should help. If the setup fits and the red car doesn’t lose too much time in the corners, there’s a small chance of an outsider thanks to the higher top speed. Team boss Binotto, however, is pessimistic: “Last season was already a difficult race for us. And again this year the layout doesn’t suit our car very well.”

The development in the midfield will be exciting. If the Renault upgrade works as planned, Hülkenberg and Ricciardo should clearly lead the chasing field. Maybe the team will even be able to put Red Bull under pressure. We also see McLaren as a safe candidate for the points. If Haas has a good setup for once and the tyres work, the US racers also have a good chance of clinching the top 10 positions.