I expected something a little better than a guy literally standing reading out anonymous peoples tweets 
i’ll skip thanks 
I enjoy it, I miss a lot of the tweets and there are some good ones from the teams
Due to where the car was located it might have been a logistical nightmare to get it completely off the track (read behind the barriers) iirc the car was way out of the way.
Don’t cut the corner, you’ll get a 5 second penalty
Game: Current and next lap times will be invalidated.
Greg: Fuuuuuuuuuuck!!
Jody Scheckter is profiled in the latest F1 Beyond The Grid podcast episode.
2019 French F1 Grand Prix Preview
Bonjour encore les fans de course! Bienvenue à notre aperçu du Grand Prix de France 2019 de Formule 1 qui vous est proposé depuis le magnifique Circuit Paul Ricard au Castellet, sur la Côte d’Azur.
Hello again race fans! Welcome to our preview of the 2019 Formula 1 French Grand Prix coming to you from the magnificent Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet on the French Riviera.
The Formula 1 Pirelli Grand Prix de France 2019 is Round 8 of 21 in the season, and the 1005th race of the Formula One World Championships.
Grand Prix motor racing originated in France and the French Grand Prix, open to international competition, is the oldest Grand Prix race, first run on 26 June 1906 under the auspices of the Automobile Club de France in Sarthe-Le Mans, with a starting field of 32.
That first Grand Prix was nothing like what we’re used to these days though. Run over two consecutive days on a 103km circuit, composed primarily of dust roads sealed with tar. Each day required the drivers to complete six laps making a total race distance of 1 238km. Lasting for more than 12 hours overall, the race was eventually won by Hungarian pilot Ferenc Szisz driving for the Renault team. Italian FIAT driver Felice Nazzaro finished second, and Albert Clément, the highest placed Frenchman, was third in a Clément-Bayard.
Ferenc Szisz driving the Renault Type AK during 1906 French Grand Prix, ahead of the Hotchkiss of American, Elliott Shepard.
We also have that race to thank for the Grand Prix name. Literally “Great Prize”, the term referred to the ‘great prize’ of Fr45 000 for the race winner. At the time, the French franc was pegged to the international gold standard at 0.290 grams per franc, which meant that the prize was worth 13kg of gold! (Adjusted for inflation, that’s about €190 000 or over R3-million – a great prize indeed!)
The 2019 Race
- Will be the 88th running of the French Grand Prix, and the 60th as an official round of the FIA Formula World Championship.
- Having returned to the F1 calendar last year after a 10-year absence, the Paul Ricard circuit will host its 16th French Grand Prix.
- 16 is also the number of different venues that have been used for a French Grand Prix, but only 7 have been used since the start of the F1 World Championship in 1950: Riems (11 times), Rouen-les-Essarts (5), Clermont-Ferrand (4), Le Mans (1), Circuit Paul Ricard (15), Dijon-Prenois (5), and Magny-Cours (18).
- With 7 races completed already, Lewis Hamilton goes into the second third of the season leading the 2019 Driver’s Championship with 162 points, a 29-point lead over teammate Valtteri Bottas (133) and a full 62 points ahead of championship rival wannabe Sebastian Vettel (100).
- Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo), Russell and Kubica (both Williams) remain pointless for the season so far.
- In the Constructor’s Championship, Mercedes remain in total control. Their massive haul of 295 points is already 123 beyond second placed rivals Ferrari (172). Ferrari in turn remain comfortably ahead of Red Bull in 3rd with 124 points in the bag.
- After seven races so far this season, Williams remains the only team to not have scored any points yet.
The 2018 Race
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Pole Position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:30.029
Here’s a 360-degree view of that pole lap:
- Fastest Lap: Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 1:34.225 (L41) [Lap Record]
- Podium:
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- P1 = Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
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- P2 = Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
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- P3 = Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari
The Schedule
The French are a cultured nation, a civilised nation, a nation of intelligent timekeepers. They have successfully, and correctly, managed to adjust their Summertime clocks to match our time here in South Africa. Bon travail Frenchies!
The Circuit
Work began on pastis magnate Paul Ricard’s track in 1969, with French racers Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Henri Pescarolo acting as consultants on the layout. Racing began at the circuit a year later, with Formula 1 arriving in 1971. Jackie Stewart won the inaugural GP in his Tyrrell 003.
The Circuit Paul Ricard’s even distribution of high-, medium- and low-speed corners is a key reason why it’s one of the most used test circuits in the world (the typically good weather is another). In all, the track offers 167 possible configurations from 0.826 km (0.513 mi) to the full 5.861 km (3.642 mi).
The high speed (290kph) right-hand corner at Signes (T10) and the 5g of the following Beausset turn (T11) are favourites amongst the drivers. The track is characterised by its 1.8km long Mistral straight, which needs to be broken by the mid-point chicane) and the elongated track design. The track is also unusual in that it is built on a plateau: it is very flat.
The short run to the 90-degree left hand Turn 1 and the almost immediate switch back for the right hand of Turn 2 has seen some significant accidents in the past, most notably in 1989 when Maurício Gugelmin locked his brakes and veered into Boutsen’s Williams and Berger’s Ferrari. The March launched into the air and flipped upside down, also knocking off Mansell’s rear wing. That incident is the first of F1 TVs “5 SHOCKING Moments at the French Grand Prix”. (Their emphasis, not mine. They’re not all that SHOCKING!)
The track is known for its distinctive black and blue run-off areas known as the Blue Zone. The runoff surface consists of a mixture of asphalt and tungsten, used instead of gravel traps, as common at other circuits. A second, deeper run-off area is the Red Zone, with a more abrasive surface designed to maximize tyre grip and hence minimize braking distance, although at the cost of extreme tyre wear.
Here’s Romain “Frenchmen don’t whine, we complain passionately” Grosjean to show us around the circuit:
In 2019 the pitlane entry will be moved following safety concerns. The entry, which was previously accessed via the main straight, will now be situated between the final two corners (turns 14 and 15), which you can see on this illustrated circuit map taken from the Official Race Programme:
Circuit Paul Ricard has also been mapped by the Google Street View cameras, so if you fancy a more leisurely and personal look at a lap of the circuit…
The Tyres
Pirelli will bring the C2 compound as the hard, C3 as the medium, and C4 as the soft tyre: the same nomination as Australia, China, and Azerbaijan.
The Pirelli tyre engineers’ note:
- The circuit has been extensively resurfaced since last year, with nearly all of the corners – approximately a third of the lap – getting new asphalt. This is of similar specification to the existing asphalt, which should provide a consistent surface over the course of the entire lap.
- The asphalt is quite smooth, meaning that tyre degradation is generally low. The expected warm weather at this time of year in the south of France could lead to some thermal degradation though.
- The Circuit Paul Ricard is much more about lateral forces than traction and braking. This should make it easier to find the right balance between front and rear tyre temperatures – even though the long 1.8-kilometre Mistral straight (intersected by a chicane) can cool down the front tyres, and there are some heavy braking zones.
- Turn 13 at Paul Ricard has the second-highest continuous energy demands of the year, after Turn 1 in China.
- A one-stopper was the winning strategy last year, used by most competitors. The strategy in 2018 was influenced by an early safety car, which came out after the opening lap for five laps.
- At 5.8 kilometres in total, this is one of the longest laps of the year, with a number of overtaking opportunities.
The Weather
Nothing in the weekend weather forecasts to worry about at all. Other than it looks lovely, and I’d rather be there than here in my cold study freezing my butt off right now.
Things To Keep An Eye On
• Will Mercedes make it 8 wins out of 8 for the season so far?
• Will the phalanx of Frenchies give the home fans something to cheer about? Allez les gars!
• Will Romain Grosjean’s luck, mood and whiny disposition improve?
• Will Seb Vettel be harbouring lingering frustrations after his penalty and relegation from P1 in Canada? Will anyone care?
The Digital Race Programme
Save yourself the princely sum of €15 and download your free digital copy of the Official 2019 French F1 Grand Prix Programme. Yip, all 118 pages of high-definition, full-colour PDF magnificence is yours to keep forever at zero cost. Nice write up on Pierre Gasly inside. And it’s bilingual, so you can use it to brush up on your French at the same time.
https://secure.viewer.zmags.com/publication/f0befb7c
And Finally…
The Formula 2 and Formula 3 fields return into action at Paul Ricard this weekend as well, so keep an extra eye out for action from them.
And also, this weekends’ French Grand Prix marks the first of five back-to-back race weekends for this year. After the race on Sunday, the F1 roadshow packs up and heads to Austria next weekend. There’s a lot of racing coming up for fans to enjoy.
Allez mes amis, partons en course!
Wow that’s an amazing write up! I’m very impressed. Nicely done!
The Autosport F1 panel try and explain why the F1 teams have requested (and received) an extension on the formulation of the 2021 Concord and Rules Agreement.
The decisions were due to be finalised and signed up by the end of June as the FIA mandates that major formula rules changes need to be ratified at least 18 months in advance of implementation. The teams have not been able to settle on the changes and have been granted an extension to October.
https://secure.viewer.zmags.com/publication/f0befb7c#/f0befb7c/1
Free digital program for the race
But what was wrong with the link in my preview post? Works for me?
I blame my work pc 
I have officially given up on th
is thing
Lol. Where did you get it? The Williams F1 team closing down sale? 
Bwahahahahahahahahaha jis that
is a nasty burn!
I shall have to apply burnshield now! 
Seb and long-term partner Hannah got married during the break between Canada and France. 
Free Practice 1 Time Sheet:
Status quo maintained at the top, McLaren showing solid performance, Alfa and Williams down the bottom.
I see Haas is also struggling
Yeah, water leak for Grosjean early on, didn’t run much at all. Not Sure what’s up with KMag though.