Circuit Paul Ricard
The Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet: a test track opened in 1970 with the famous Mistral Straight and colourful run-off areas.
The Circuit Paul Ricard is in Le Castellet, in the Var département of France. Built in 1969 with the money of Paul Ricard, the pastis magnate, it opened in April 1970.[1],[2]
In its full configuration with the Mistral chicane it is about 5.84 kilometres long. It offers a very large number of configurations: the English page counts 247 possible ones since the works of 2000 to 2005.[1]
At a glance
| Place | Le Castellet, Var[1],[2] |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Endurance series | ELMS |
| Period | 1970-present |
| Opened | April 1970[1],[2] |
| Length (with the Mistral chicane) | 5.842 km[1] |
| Mistral Straight | 1.8 km originally[1],[2] |
Landmarks of the circuit
- The Mistral Straight
- About 1.8 kilometres long originally, it was shortened to just over 1.0 kilometre by the 1986 modifications, after Elio de Angelis's fatal testing accident.[1],[2]
- The blue and red run-off areas
- Instead of gravel traps, the circuit uses abrasive asphalt run-off areas: the "Blue Zone", then an even more abrasive "Red Zone", with Tecpro barriers as the last safeguard.[1],[2]
- Signes
- Signes is a corner where Ayrton Senna crashed after an engine failure during the 1985 French Grand Prix.[1]
Key dates
- 1970 — The circuit opens, financed by Paul Ricard.[1],[2]
- 1971-1990 — The Formula 1 French Grand Prix is held there 14 times.[1],[2]
- 1986 — Modifications to the layout: the Mistral Straight is shortened.[1]
- 1999 — The circuit is sold to Excelis, a company owned by Bernie Ecclestone, and rebuilt as a test track.[1]
- 2018-2022 — The Formula 1 French Grand Prix returns to Le Castellet, until 2022 (no race in 2020).[1],[2]
In the game
This circuit is part of the Circuit game: a heavily zoomed photo of one of its landmarks that you have to recognise. Play Circuit
Sources
The numbers in brackets refer to the sources listed at the bottom of the page.