This weekend F1 returns to Circuit Paul Ricard for the fourth French Grand Prix in the venue’s five year deal to host it. The circuit has not produced particularly exciting races in the modern era and there is talk of it being dropped when the current contract expires. Located on a plateau in the South of France, not far from Monaco, Circuit Paul Ricard is known for its fair weather; however, as Europe is in the midst of a heatwave this year’s race will feature particularly hot temperatures. Notable features of the track include the long Mistral Straight & Chicane leading into high-speed right-hander Signes as well as runoff areas coated with high friction paint in place of gravel. Out of the past 17 Grands Prix the circuit has played host to, 9 of the race winners have gone on to win the Driver’s Championship that year.
Red Bull enter the weekend wary of their competition, particularly at Circuit Paul Ricard. The glass-smooth surface will likely allow Mercedes to overcome the flaws in their car and we saw how fast Ferrari was in Austria having taken home the win. Look for one car on the podium and the other not far behind. On the AlphaTauri side, the team’s performance has slipped with scoring points only an outside chance at this point.
Elsewhere on the grid, look for this to be a general ranking of team performance coming into the race weekend:
1. Red Bull
2. Ferrari
3. Mercedes
4. Alpine
5. McLaren
6. Alfa Romeo ↑
7. Aston Martin ↑
8. Haas ↑
9. AlphaTauri ↓
10. Williams
US TV SCHEDULE
Practice 1 – Friday, July 22 – 7.55AM –
ESPNU
Practice 2 – Friday, July 22 – 10.55AM – ESPN2
Practice 3 – Saturday, July 23 – 6.55AM – ESPN2
Qualifying – Saturday, July 23 – 9.55AM – ESPN2
Ted’s Qualifying Notebook – Saturday, July 23 – 12.55PM – ESPN3
Grand Prix Sunday – Sunday, July 24 – 7.30AM –
ESPN
French Grand Prix – Sunday, July 24 – 8.55AM –
ESPN
Checkered Flag – Sunday, July 24 – 11AM – ESPN3
Ted’s Race Notebook – Sunday, July 24 – 12PM – ESPN3
Race (re-air) – Sunday, July 24 – 7PM –
ESPNEWS
CIRCUIT INFORMATION
Lap data
Lap length: 5.842km (3.630 miles)
Race laps: 53
Race distance: 309.6km (192.3 miles)
Pole position: Left-hand side of the track
Maximum speed: 342kph (Pirelli est.)
Lap record*: 1:32.740 (Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari)
DRS
zone/s (race): Pit straight and back straight
Car performance
Downforce level: Medium
Strategy
2022 tyre choices: Hard, C2; Medium, C3; Soft, C4 (2021: Hard, C2; Medium, C3; Soft, C4)
*Lap set during a Grand Prix
2021 RESULTS
Race Info.
Laps: 53
Pole: Max Verstappen, 1:29.990
Fast race lap: Max Verstappen, 1:36.404
Podium
1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
3. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
CURRENT STANDINGS
TRACK MAP AND VIDEO
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