A Brief History of the French Grand Prix.

The French Grand Prix, in recent years, has had a bit of a reputation for being boring. This hasn’t always been the case, as France has hosted Grand Prix at 7 different circuits since 1950 – when it was one of 7 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 1 -2 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 4 of them – with a hat trick of wins between 1988 and 1990.

Magny Cours.

From 1991 to 2008, the French GP 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 French GP baron spell 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 McLarens French wins in 1976. Michael Schumacher won in 2004, with an unprecedented 4 stop strategy. He also became the first driver to win any single GP at the same circuit – a total of 8 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. Joining him on the podium were Francois Cevert & Carlos Reuttemann. James Hunt gained the very first point of his F1 career driving a Hesketh owned March.

The 1999 French Grand Prix was a bit of a classic race too. Won by Heinz-Harold Frentzen, from fifth position on the grid after qualifying, and with Rubens Barrichello gaining 3rd 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 3rd, celebrated at home as all team, engine manufacturer (Peugeot) & driver 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.

Who can forget the 2000 French GP at Magny Cours, with David Coulthard showing his appreciation for Michael Schumachers driving, complete with gesticulations!