Paul Ricardo’s circle is one of the most famous. What has it offered in its rich history?

This weekend sees the start of the French Grand Prix at the Paul Ricard circuit, which has offered a lot in its racing history. In particular, moments that have left an indelible mark on the history of Formula 1.

The French Grand Prix was first held at the Paul Ricard circuit in 1971, with the first ever winner being the now three-time world champion Jackie Stewart in the then Tyrrell 003.

Work on the circuit began in 1969 with a large financial backing behind it. In fact, the work and construction of the track was primarily financed by the tycoon Paul Ricard, or Pernod Ricard, one of France’s largest alcoholic beverage companies.

The Circuit Paul Ricard, as the official name of the circuit is, has so far seen fifteen Grand Prix. In addition to the aforementioned Stewart, other winners include such legends as Niki Lauda (1975), James Hunt (1976), Nelson Piquet (1985), Nigel Mansell (1986, 1987) and Alain Prost (1988-1990).

The most recent winner is seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The star Mercedes driver has won here in 2018 and 2019. Last year, the French Grand Prix was not held here due to a heavily modified calendar due to Covid-19.

It should be noted, however, that in 2018, the Paul Ricard circuit returned to the Formula 1 calendar after many years – in fact, the last French Grand Prix at this track dates back to 1990, when Prost won here in a Ferrari monoposto.

Between 2009 and 2017, there was no Formula 1 event in France at all. In 2018, the queen of motorsport returned to the land of the Gallic cockerel after ten years. From 1991 to 2008, Formula 1 races were held at the Magny-Cours circuit.

However, the French Grand Prix is the oldest event, with formula races being held in France since 1906! The legendary German Michael Schumacher became the king of the French Grand Prix, winning eight times in the country.

Moving back, however, to the Paul Ricard circuit, many fans are surely wondering whether this race track is even ideal for Formula 1.

Generally speaking, the Circuit Paul Ricard has all the aspects that a Formula 1 race circuit needs. There are many large escape zones, TecPro barriers, in short, safety first.

However, Paul Ricard is a renowned circuit for testing. There are an incredible 167 possible configurations and track set-ups. The track is used extensively by teams to prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Pirelli testing its new tyres here.

Compared to Magny-Cours, the Circuit Paul Ricard is not as attractive to the fan’s eye. Although a few drivers complained about the Magny-Cours circuit, mainly because of the poor track positioning, we saw several opportunities to overtake here and it was hard not to make a mistake.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the French track currently in use. Nevertheless, this circuit offered us some historic moments. In 2018, for example, Sebastian Vettel managed to fight his way up from 17th to fifth here.

And in the 1989 season, we witnessed a big crash at the first corner. 13 drivers did not see the finish line in this Grand Prix, including Ayrton Senna, who retired due to differential problems.

All in all, the French Grand Prix has always been a welcome event on the Formula One calendar. Kimi Räikkönen, then still in the service of McLaren, again lost his first career victory at the Magny-Cours circuit in the 2002 season.

The Paul Ricard circuit itself is 5.842 km long. The race is scheduled for fifty-three laps, during which the drivers will cover 309.69 kilometres. The time record here is held by Sebastian Vettel from 2018, at 1.32::740.

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