The French F1 Grand Prix is returning to its historic track – the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet. From 22 to 24 July 2022, the best drivers in the world will compete in this key stage of the Formula 1 rankings… With a Max Verstappen or a Charles Leclerc expected to win.
Circuit Paul Ricard du Castellet : Return In Grace Of The Formula Varoise
Inaugurated in 1970, after having been homologated Grade 1 by the International Automobile Federation (FIA), the Paul Ricard Circuit du Castellet quickly became a European reference in terms of a safe track for speed sports… grand V! And since 2018, the Castellet track has once again been used as a venue for the French Formula 1 Grand Prix! And since 2018, the Castellet track is once again the setting for the French Formula 1 Grand Prix!
And it was Paul Ricard, the man behind the iconic pastis in the South of France, who came up with the idea and built the 5.861 km track (5.842 for the F1 version). Its most iconic line? The Mistral straight, almost 1,800 metres long!
Since 1971, it is on this track that the best drivers compete for the French Formula 1 Grand Prix title. But then, under the impulse of the spirit of an era, the Circuit du Castellet is no longer the place of the French GP since 1991. The Castellet circuit was then used for the Bol d’Or and the motorbike GP until 1999… the year when the Ricard family decided to sell it.
The Castellet circuit has already written its legend. The great champion Niki Lauda, known as “the Computer”, scored his fourth victory in five races at the wheel of his Ferrari. … Alain Prost made it his favourite circuit, with four victories in Ferrari and McLaren-Honda, a record that has not been broken since…
On 24 June 2018, after an absence of almost 30 years, the French Formula 1 Grand Prix will return to this legendary circuit. But the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet has in the meantime adapted to become a major Formula 1 event. In the grandstand, 51,000 seats welcome a growing public; a 16,000 m2 paddock welcomes the teams from all over the world ready to battle it out in this legendary race in the history of Formula 1.
As for its layout, it offers the drivers exceptional sensations. Starting with a track width of 12 metres, which is more comfortable than that of other circuits. Then comes the emblematic Mistral straight and the 15 bends that make up the Circuit Paul Ricard du Castellet! With an average speed of 230 km/h, the most seasoned drivers test their overtaking skills at the first corner, at chicane 8 and on the Mistral straight – where the cars roar along at almost 300 km/h.
53 laps will be run on Sunday 24 July 2022, with the GP starting at 3pm. The last winner of the French GP in 2021, Max Verstappen for Red Bull, will certainly be in competition with Charles Leclerc for Ferrari who has shown precise speed since the Austrian GP… But it is perhaps Lewis Hamilton who will make history this Sunday at the French GP. Lewis Hamilton on his Mercedes who would then sign a triple victory at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet.
