A Brief History of the French Grand Prix.
The French Grand Prix, in recent years, has had a bit of a reputation for being a bit dull. This hasn’t always been the case, as France has hosted Grand Prix at seven different circuits since 1950 – when it was one of seven races to make up the very first championship. The current race is held at Paul Ricard, steeped in interesting history.
Introduced by a Shepherd to an aniseed flavoured liqueur called Pastis – banned during World War I – a young entrepreneur named Paul Ricard turned his bedroom into a mini brewery to develop a more sophisticated version of the brew, which he named Authentic Pastis of Marseilles. It proved to be extremely popular – by 1938 Ricard had sold 2.4 million litres!
Looking to further develop his work, Ricard entered the world of brand sponsorship & married it with sport. In 1948, his brand sponsored The Tour de France – the worlds most famous cycling race.
Still not satisfied & being a true visionary, a few decades later, he set himself the monumental challenge of building a racetrack. The first race was held in 1971, giving Tyrell a one-two for Jackie Stewart & Frenchman Francois Cevert. A subsequent 14 races were held at the track, won by big hitters such as Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell & Niki Lauda. Alain Prost won four of them – with a hat-trick of wins between 1988 and 1990.
Magny Cours.
From 1991 to 2008, the French Grand Prix was hosted at Magny Cours. Built in 1960 by Jean Bernigaud, it was home to Winfield Racing School – producing great drivers such as Francois Cevert, Jacques Laffite & Didier Pironi. The Ligier & Prost teams were based at the circuit & tested extensively there.
The venue, due to its remote location, suffered from poor attendance figures, access & insufficient accommodation. The circuit’s contract wasn’t renewed for the 2009 season, with talks of a street race failing to materialize. Thus, there was a baron spell without a French Grand Prix until 2018, when the race returned to Circuit Paul Ricard.
There have been some memorable races in France over the years: James Hunt winning the first of McLaren’s French wins in 1976. Michael Schumacher won in 2004, with an unprecedented 4 stop strategy. The seven-time world champion also became the first driver to win any single grand prix at the same circuit eight times.
1973 was memorable for a few drivers as well as fans of the sport, as Ronnie Peterson scored the first win of his career for Lotus. James Hunt gained the very first point of his Formula 1 career driving a Hesketh owned March.
The 1999 French Grand Prix was earmarked as a classic race too. Won by Heinz-Harald Frentzen, from fifth position on the grid after qualifying, and with Rubens Barrichello gaining third spot on the podium for Jackie Stewart’s F1 Team after starting on pole position.
Home hero Olivier Panis achieved the Prost F1 team’s best-ever qualifying position of third, celebrated at home as the team, including engine supplier Peugeot, were indeed French. Weather conditions were fairly poor and cars in the positions of 18th to 22nd failed to satisfy the 107% rule, although the stewards waived the rule and they lined up according to free practice times.
The weekend was also notable for Damon Hill hinting that the race may have been his last, or that he may compete at Silverstone and then retire.
And who can forget the 2000 French Grand Prix at Magny Cours, with David Coulthard showing his appreciation for Michael Schumacher’s driving, complete with gesticulations, before going to to claim victory.