F1Weekly Podcast # 890

NASIR IS CONVINCED IT’S BYE BYE BOTAS WHILST THE HOST IS PREPARING FOR LE GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE IT’S ALWAYS GREAT TO GET BACK TO LE CASTELLET! HERE ARE SOME PAUL-RICARD FACTS…

The Formula 1 World Championship is back on track this weekend at Le Castellet’s Paul Ricard Circuit in the shape of the seventh round of the season, the French Grand Prix. It is one of the longest running events in the category, although last year it was not held due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, a maximum of 15,000 fans per day, split into “bubbles” of 5000 each, will be allowed in the grandstands, as long as they have been vaccinated, have recovered from having the virus or are in possession of a negative test result.

One of a kind. At the end of the Nineties, the facility was turned into a testing venue and therefore it boasts some unusual features such as no fewer than 167 different possible configurations, while a short version, at under 4 kilometres also has a sprinkler system to create a wet surface. The run-off areas are surfaced with a mixture of asphalt and tungsten, which produces very high grip and stops the cars very quickly in the event of an off-track excursion.

The three sectors. The layout used for Formula 1 since 2018, when the Grand Prix returned to the calendar after a ten year break, is 5.842 kilometres in length with 15 corners. The first sector is the quickest and presents the most opportunities for overtaking, especially immediately after the start line, going into Turn 1 and at the exit of Turn 3. Good power and performance from the engines is a clear requirement in the second sector, featuring the Mistral straight and turns 8 and 9 where the cars are pushed to the limit. In the third sector, aerodynamic downforce is again the main factor: immediately after Signes, one of the fastest and most evocative corners on the calendar, comes a tighter section featuring fast and slow sections where traction is key. There are two DRS zones: one on the main straight and the other between turns 7 and 8, in the first part of the Mistral straight.

Play Podcast: 06-15-21f1weekly890.mp3