1
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.
undefined Length of the circuit |
undefined 5,842 meters |
undefined Number of racing laps |
undefined 53 |
undefined Total racing distance |
undefined 309,626 kilometres |
undefined Lap record |
undefined 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.
undefined Driving direction |
undefined Clockwise |
undefined Number of turns |
undefined 15 (6 to the left, 9 to the right) |
undefined Distance from the start to the first corner |
undefined 385.72 meters |
undefined Braking points of more than 2G |
undefined 6, of which 2 are heavy |
undefined Percentage of full gas |
undefined 58-70 per cent |
undefined Highest lateral G-force |
undefined 4.1G through Turn 11 |
undefined Length of the pits below limiter |
undefined 327.5 meters |
undefined Duration of the drive through the pits |
undefined 19.7 seconds |
undefined Fuel consumption |
undefined High |
undefined Side of pole position on the start line |
undefined Left |
undefined Tyre compounds |
undefined C2, C3, C4 |
undefined DRS zones |
undefined Turn 7-8, 15-1 |
undefined The opportunity of a safety car |
undefined Average |
undefined Chance of rain |
undefined Average |
Tyre selections
| Driver | C2 | C3 | C4 |
|---|---|---|---|
Driver Lewis Hamilton |
C2 1 |
C3 3 |
C4 9 |
Driver Valtteri Bottas |
C2 1 |
C3 3 |
C4 9 |
Driver Sebastian Vettel |
C2 1 |
C3 3 |
C4 9 |
Driver Charles Leclerc |
C2 1 |
C3 3 |
C4 9 |
Driver Max Verstappen |
C2 1 |
C3 4 |
C4 8 |
Driver Pierre Gasly |
C2 1 |
C3 3 |
C4 9 |
Driver Daniel Ricciardo |
C2 2 |
C3 1 |
C4 10 |
Driver Nico Hulkenberg |
C2 1 |
C3 2 |
C4 10 |
Driver Kevin Magnussen |
C2 1 |
C3 2 |
C4 10 |
Driver Romain Grosjean |
C2 2 |
C3 1 |
C4 10 |
Driver Carlos Sainz |
C2 1 |
C3 3 |
C4 9 |
Driver Lando Norris |
C2 2 |
C3 2 |
C4 9 |
Driver Sergio Perez |
C2 2 |
C3 3 |
C4 8 |
Driver Lance Stroll |
C2 2 |
C3 3 |
C4 8 |
Driver Kimi Raikkonen |
C2 1 |
C3 2 |
C4 10 |
Driver Antonio Giovinazzi |
C2 1 |
C3 2 |
C4 10 |
Driver Daniil Kvyat |
C2 2 |
C3 1 |
C4 10 |
Driver Alexander Albon |
C2 1 |
C3 2 |
C4 10 |
Driver George Russell |
C2 1 |
C3 3 |
C4 9 |
Driver Robert Kubica |
C2 2 |
C3 2 |
C4 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.
undefined Best time FP1 |
undefined 1:32.231 (Hamilton) |
undefined Best time FP2 |
undefined 1:32.539 (Hamilton) |
undefined Best time FP3 |
undefined 1:33.666 (Bottas) |
undefined Best time Q1 |
undefined 1:31.271 (Hamilton) |
undefined Best time Q2 |
undefined 1:30.645 (Hamilton) |
undefined Best time Q3 |
undefined 1:30.029 (Hamilton) |
undefined Fastest racing lap |
undefined 1:34.225 (Bottas) |
undefined Total race time |
undefined 1 hour 30 minutes and 11 seconds |
undefined Average speed |
undefined 223.6 kilometres per hour |
undefined Highest top speed |
undefined 349.7 kilometres per hour |
undefined Podium |
undefined Hamilton - Verstappen - Raikkonen |
undefined Winning strategy |
undefined 1 stops, on lap 33 |
undefined Total number of pit stops |
undefined 23 |
undefined Number of retirements |
undefined 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.
Grand Prix of Belgium
C. Sainz jr
Replies (1)
Login to replyf1fan0101
Posts: 1,804
Looking forward to it