Cover Source: f1.com
For the 2018 Formula 1 season, the French Grand Prix made a comeback at Paul Ricard. It was the first French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard since 1990 and the first since 2008, when the race was last contested in Magny-Cours.
Built at Le Castellet in France, the Circuit Paul Richard is also called “Le Castellet”. With a length of 5.84 km, the track is on the longer side of F1 tracks; behind Spa-Francorchamps which has a length of 7 km.
Source: https://www.lrs-formula.com/c/80-pdt_1920/circuit-paul-ricard.jpg
Having 15 turns in the current configuration being used in F1. This track is one of the most versatile with 167 configurations possible, out of which 5 have been FIA Grade1 certified. The track is built on a plateau which limits the elevation changes to a minimum.
The track record for the fastest lap in a F1 car is currently held by Sebastian Vettel in the Ferrari in the 2019 French Grand Prix with a 1:32.740 lap. However, taking by the times set by these new generation cars in the practice sessions (A 1:32.272 lap by Max Verstappen in the RedBull, during the FP3 session) this record would be re-written during the race on sunday.
This track has been one of the highest tracks in the number of overtakes in the past F1 races it has held. Even if the public opinion of the track is boring, it has been an active place for track battles.
One of the aspects the fans do however have liked are the trophies for the Grand Prixs. With a monkey/gorilla theme being held throughout.
The track is quickly identified by the blue and red stripes that run around the corners. These stripes being in the colours of the french flag give the track a distinct look. With massive amounts of runoff these stripes do a great job of covering the boringness of big empty patches of asphalt, all the while having a safety feature. These stripes are a mixture of asphalt and tungsten with a colouring agent. The blues stripes are abrasive to slow the car down, the red ones are super abrasive and generate a lot of friction which grips the tyre aggressively. The blue stripes cause less abrasion on the tyres than the red ones. This slow the car down significantly to aid the tecpro barriers installed the edge of the circuit.
Source: https://dustinthepitlane.com/stripesatpaulricard/
The circuit is a well rounded track with the likes of Circuit de Catalyunya, consisting of a mix of slow, medium and fast corners with the straights coupled in. This along with good year round weather makes the track a really good choice for testing vehicles. In fact this circuit was once so popular among testing teams that it was called Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track until 2016.
These characteristics of the circuit, along with ease of accessibility with an airport and sea port close by makes it convenient for the teams to have cargo shipped. The circuit is hosting around 25 motorsport series this year.
Source: https://www.gpfrance.com/en/circuit-paul-ricard/
Paul Ricard has been awarded a 3-star FIA Environmental Accreditation. In a 2021 report, it was ranked the second most sustainable racetrack in the world, tied with Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and after Mugello Circuit.
Paul Ricard, a major pastis owner, owned the area where the racetrack is now located.
Ricard wanted to gain experience planning and constructing a roadway, as he was fascinated by large scale projects. Advisers convinced him that a racetrack would be extremely comparable and be better financially than a highway.
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