By the numbers
A crash means a race retirement from an accident, collision or spin. Starts exclude non-qualifications, non-starts and exclusions.History
The Circuit Paul Ricard is in Le Castellet, in the Var department, not far from Marseille. It was built in 1969 and opened on 19 April 1970, with an industrial park and an airstrip as part of the complex. The track sits on a very flat plateau between 408 and 441 metres above sea level. Thanks to the flexibility of the facility and its mild winters, several teams test there, Formula One squads among them.
The original layout was defined by the 1.8 km Mistral Straight, followed by the fast right-hander at Signes. Instead of gravel traps, the circuit uses coloured run-off areas: the Blue Zone, made of asphalt and tungsten, and the Red Zone, which has an especially abrasive surface. The current Grand Prix layout is 5.842 km long, has 15 corners and runs clockwise. After modifications between 2000 and 2005, 247 configurations are possible, from 0.828 km up to 5.858 km.
The first Formula One World Championship race came in 1971, when Jackie Stewart won the French Grand Prix for Tyrrell. The long 5.809 km version was used until 1985. After Elio de Angelis died in a testing accident in 1986, the circuit was made safer: the Mistral Straight was shortened, the fast Verrerie curves were bypassed, and the Grand Prix layout measured only about 3.8 km. That version hosted the race from 1986 to 1990. Alain Prost won at the circuit in 1983, 1988, 1989 and 1990. After that the French Grand Prix moved to Magny-Cours.
Formula One returned to Le Castellet in 2018, and four races were held there up to 2022: Lewis Hamilton won in 2018 and 2019 for Mercedes, and Max Verstappen in 2021 and 2022 for Red Bull. The 2022 race was the last Formula One race at the circuit. From 2019 the pit lane entry has been located between the final two corners.
Moments
- 1971Jackie Stewart won the first Formula One race at the Circuit Paul Ricard, the French Grand Prix, driving for Tyrrell.
- 1983Alain Prost won the French Grand Prix for Renault, his first victory at the circuit.
- 1986Nigel Mansell won for Williams in the first race on the shortened Grand Prix layout of about 3.8 km.
- 1990Alain Prost won the French Grand Prix for Ferrari, the last race at the circuit before the event moved to Magny-Cours.
- 2018Lewis Hamilton won for Mercedes in the first French Grand Prix after Formula One returned to Le Castellet.
- 2022Max Verstappen won for Red Bull in the final French Grand Prix held at Le Castellet.
3 layouts since 1971
- 1971-19855.809 km
- 1986-19903.813 km
- since 20185.842 km
Years without a Grand Prix at this circuit: 1972, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1991-2017, 2020.
Most wins
Click a bar to see every win here with year, team and analysis.
Data: F1DB by Marcel Overdijk, CC BY 4.0 licence.