Circuit Paul Ricard returned to the F1 calendar in 2018 having last hosted the French Grand Prix 1990.
Track length: 5.842km
Race length: 309.690km
Laps: 53
Turns: 15
Circuit opened: 1970
F1 first visited: 1971
Races held: 17
Track Record: 1:28.319, Lewis Hamilton, 2019
Lap Record: 1:32.740, Sebastian Vettel, 2019
Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet
The French Grand Prix dates back to the earliest days of motorsport and the very first Grand Prix motor race was the 1906 French Grand Prix. The name of the race, “Grand Prix” translating as “Big Prize” proved to be true as the winner was presented with 45,000 Francs, which was equal to approximately 13 kilos of gold. This event has been held at seven different venues and Scuderia Ferrari has won it 17 times, more than any other team.
LE CASTELLET
The Paul Ricard track first hosted the French Grand Prix in 1971, but the Maranello team had to wait for its first win in Le Castellet, Var, near Marseille until 1975, when Niki Lauda took P1. Today, the track offers no fewer than 167 different configurations. Its most famous feature is the very long Mistral straight and the extremely high speed and challenging Signes corner: in the old days, journalists would spectate from there to listen out and decide which drivers were taking it flat out.
Scuderia Ferrari’s second win at Le Castellet was registered in 1990, with Alain Prost giving the Maranello team its one hundredth Formula 1 victory. The French Grand Prix had been absent from the calendar since 2008, when it returned at Le Castellet four years ago.
HALL OF FAME
- WINS
| YEAR | DRIVER | MODEL |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Ascari | 500 F2 |
| 1953 | Hawthorn | 500 F2 |
| 1956 | Collins | D50 |
| 1958 | Hawthorn | 246 F1 |
| 1959 | Brooks | 246 F1 |
| 1961 | Baghetti | 156 F1 |
| 1968 | Ickx | 312 F1 |
| 1975 | Lauda | 312 T |
| 1990 | Prost | F1-90 |
| 1997 | Schumacher | F310B |
| 1998 | Schumacher | F300 |
| 2001 | Schumacher | F2001 |
| 2002 | Schumacher | F2002 |
| 2004 | Schumacher | F2004 |
| 2006 | Schumacher | 248 F1 |
| 2007 | Raikkonen | F2007 |
| 2008 | Massa | F2008 |
HALL OF FAME
- POLE POSITIONS
| YEAR | DRIVER | MODEL |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Ascari | 500 F2 |
| 1953 | Hawthorn | 500 F2 |
| 1956 | Collins | D50 |
| 1958 | Hawthorn | 246 F1 |
| 1959 | Brooks | 246 F1 |
| 1961 | Baghetti | 156 F1 |
| 1968 | Ickx | 312 F1 |
| 1975 | Lauda | 312 T |
| 1990 | Prost | F1-90 |
| 1997 | Schumacher | F310B |
| 1998 | Schumacher | F2001 |
| 2001 | Schumacher | F2001 |
| 2002 | Schumacher | F2002 |
| 2004 | Schumacher | F2004 |
| 2006 | Schumacher | 248 F1 |
| 2008 | Massa | F2008 |
| 2008 | Raikkonen | F2008 |
HALL OF FAME
- BEST LAPS
| YEAR | DRIVER | MODEL |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Ascari | 500 F2 |
| 1956 | Fangio | D50 |
| 1957 | Musso | Ferrari 801 |
| 1958 | Hawthorn | 246 F1 |
| 1961 | Hill | 156 F1 |
| 1966 | Bandini | 312 F1 |
| 1976 | Lauda | 312 T2 |
| 1978 | Reutemann | 312 T3 |
| 1990 | Mansell | F1-90 |
| 1997 | Schumacher | F310B |
| 2004 | Schumacher | F2004 |
| 2006 | Schumacher | 248-F1 |
| 2007 | Massa | F2007 |
| 2008 | Raikkonen | F2008 |
| 2019 | Vettel | SF90 |







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