Preview: The 2019 French Grand Prix
- Published on 19 Jun 2019 15:49
-
- By: Fergal Walsh
The Paul Ricard Circuit is the venue for the eighth race of the 2019 season, as it hosts the French Grand Prix. Last year, it hosted the first race in France in ten years. We have also now arrived at the first back-to-back race weekend.
The circuit
The circuit is located near the southern French town of Le Castellet and was commissioned by Paul Ricard. The circuit has been on the calendar 15 times before. In its early days, it was too long and unsafe. Due to the death of Elio de Angelis, the circuit was adapted to the current layout.
The large striped run-off areas are safe, but seemingly not popular with the fans. The combination of regular black asphalt with the blue (grippy) and red (extra grippy) asphalt ensures that cars are slowed down faster.
| Length of the circuit | 5,842 meters |
| Number of racing laps | 53 |
| Total racing distance | 309,626 kilometres |
| Lap record | 1:34.225 (Valtteri Bottas, 2018) |
Just like last season, the circuit has two DRS zones. The drivers can open the flap of their rear wing between turns 7 and 8 and 15 and 1.
| Driving direction | Clockwise |
| Number of turns | 15 (6 to the left, 9 to the right) |
| Distance from the start to the first corner | 385.72 meters |
| Braking points of more than 2G | 6, of which 2 are heavy |
| Percentage of full gas | 58-70 per cent |
| Highest lateral G-force | 4.1G through Turn 11 |
| Length of the pits below limiter | 327.5 meters |
| Duration of the drive through the pits | 19.7 seconds |
| Fuel consumption | High |
| Side of pole position on the start line | Left |
| Tyre compounds | C2, C3, C4 |
| DRS zones | Turn 7-8, 15-1 |
| The opportunity of a safety car | Average |
| Chance of rain | Average |
Tyre selections
| Driver | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Charles Leclerc | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Max Verstappen | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Pierre Gasly | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Kevin Magnussen | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Romain Grosjean | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Carlos Sainz | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Lando Norris | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Sergio Perez | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Lance Stroll | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Antonio Giovinazzi | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Daniil Kvyat | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Alexander Albon | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| George Russell | 1 | 3 | 9 |
| Robert Kubica | 2 | 2 | 9 |
The contenders
After seven races in 2019, Mercedes has picked up every win on offer. In Canada, the team needed a time penalty for Ferrari to take victory, but it is expected that the Silver Arrows will have the stronger car in France.
Last year in France
Lewis Hamilton was the outright strongest driver last year when Formula 1 returned to Paul Ricard. He won his third race of the season by staying ahead of Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen. Sebastian Vettel's title aspirations took a hit when he clashed with Valtteri Bottas, consequently receiving a time penalty on his way to a P5 finish.
| Best time FP1 | 1:32.231 (Hamilton) |
| Best time FP2 | 1:32.539 (Hamilton) |
| Best time FP3 | 1:33.666 (Bottas) |
| Best time Q1 | 1:31.271 (Hamilton) |
| Best time Q2 | 1:30.645 (Hamilton) |
| Best time Q3 | 1:30.029 (Hamilton) |
| Fastest racing lap | 1:34.225 (Bottas) |
| Total race time | 1 hour 30 minutes and 11 seconds |
| Average speed | 223.6 kilometres per hour |
| Highest top speed | 349.7 kilometres per hour |
| Podium | Hamilton - Verstappen - Raikkonen |
| Winning strategy | 1 stops, on lap 33 |
| Total number of pit stops | 23 |
| Number of retirements | 5 |
Weather
The weather in Le Castellet is looking good for the coming weekend. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there is sun in the weather reports and the temperatures are nice and warm too: around 30 degrees Celsius.
Trivia
Michael Schumacher has more French Grand Prix victories than any other driver: he won the event eight times. He recorded all his victories at Magny-Cours.
Ferrari has the most French Grand Prix wins with 17. At the Paul Ricard track, Williams and McLaren share the record for the most wins, with three each.
Paul Ricard offers 167 circuit variations, from 0.8 km to 5.5 km in length.
1
Replies (1)
Login to replyf1fan0101
Posts: 1,804
Looking forward to it