Formula 1 Grand Prix de France: 1 July 2007
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Track: Circuit de Nevers
Length: 4.411 km
Laps: 70
Race distance: 308.77 km
Lap record: 1:15.377 (Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2004)
The French Grand Prix was the first ever motor racing event to use the title of Grand Prix, well before the inception of Formula 1. This year though, will be the last time that the World Championship will be held in Magny-Cours, and the event hangs in the balance for 2008.
Previous French GPs were held at Paul Ricard and Dijon, and the current venue secured the rights to host the race in 1991. However its isolated location, and the dull racing that it usually produces, have made it unpopular with fans and teams alike.
The track has its technical challenges in the form of the long and fast Estoril curve and the quick Nürburgring and Imola chicanes. A medium-high downforce set-up is thus favoured, while the smooth surface and low kerbs allow the cars to be run with miminal ground clearance.
The tarmac has a dark colour and this makes it gain and lose heat quickly. When tyre wear sets in it, understeer makes itself felt especially through the tight and slow 180 and Adeleide turns. The latter represents the best of the rare overtaking opportunities, but it is difficult to slipstream the car ahead through the preceding Estoril bend without losing the grip needed.
A redesign of the final Lycee complex in 2003 improved the overtaking issues slightly, and at the same time shortened the length of the pitlane. This allows the teams to go for 2 or more pitstops during the race - Ferrari won in 2004 using 4!
Through his 8th win at this track last year, Michael Schumacher holds the record number of victories at a single event or venue. He also secured the 2002 world championship here in record time after a mistake by Kimi Räikkönen on the penultimate lap gifted him the win.
Other memorable events, though few, include the 1999 GP where qualifying and the race took place in torrential conditions and produced plenty of overtaking, and David Coulthard's infamous gesture when Schumacher blocked his overtaking manoever in 2000. Coulthard went on to win that race, and is the one of 3 active drivers who are past winners of this event.
World champion Fernando Alonso is also one of those 3 drivers. He currently trails his teammate Lewis Hamilton by 10 points in the drivers championship, after a less-than-ideal outing in North America while the rookie secured maximum points on maiden visits to those tracks.
All the teams evaluated new components at Silverstone and Jerez last week, and all eyes will be on Ferrari as they bid to catch the McLaren duo. Honda will attempt to turn their season around after they failed to net anything better than 10th place in the first half of the season. Now behind even their B-team, they have promised new parts for this race.
Renault enjoyed a resurgence of sorts in the last 2 races and they are aiming to close in on BMW at their home track. The latter admit to having a dismal US GP but will be looking forward to the return of Robert Kubica, who sat out that event as a precaution after his terrifying accident in Canada. -
Kubica Officially Cleared To Race
Robert Kubica had expected the routine medical checks in France to prove a formality and Reuters reports that the Pole has indeed been given the all-clear to return.
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=39776 -
French Grand Prix, free practice session one
Ferrari 1-2, with Alonso 3rd and Hamilton 6th. BMW's Heidfeld and Kubica (7th and 9th respectively) are ahead of Renault's Fisichella and Kovalainen (18th and 19th respectively). Once again, Takuma Sato is ahead of the two Hondas.
1. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m15.392s
2. MASSA Ferrari 1m15.447s
3. ALONSO Mclaren 1m16.154s
4. ROSBERG Williams 1m16.214s
5. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m16.268s
6. HAMILTON McLaren 1m16.277s
7. HEIDFELD BMW 1m16.388s
8. WURZ Williams 1m16.407s
9. KUBICA BMW 1m16.441s
10. TRULLI Toyota 1m16.603s
11. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1m16.895s
12. SATO Super Aguri 1m16.967s
13. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m16.990s
14. BUTTON Honda 1m17.047s
15. SPEED Toro Rosso 1m17.103s
16. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m17.166s
17. R SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m17.168s
18. FISICHELLA Renault 1m17.226s
19. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m17.348s
20. WEBBER Red Bull 1m17.435s
21. ALBERS Spyker 1m18.178s
22. SUTIL Spyker 1m18.419s -
i never knew ah kua ish F1 fan
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He moderator u noe?Originally posted by gigabyte14:i never knew ah kua ish F1 fan -
who? KB?Originally posted by gigabyte14:i never knew ah kua ish F1 fan 
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The introductions to the last 4 races and this one are all my own.Originally posted by gigabyte14:i never knew ah kua ish F1 fan 
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Originally posted by Kuali Baba:The introductions to the last 4 races and this one are all my own.
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Ferrari continued to dominate, but Toro Rosso were the surprise of the afternoon. Hamilton managed a clean session to post a faster time than Alonso. All 4 Red Bull cars could have been in the top 10 if Webber's car hadn't failed. Heidfeld had a back problem which prompted him to stop early.
French GP free practice session 2 times
1. MASSA Ferrari 1m15.453s
2. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m15.488s
3. SPEED Toro Rosso 1m15.773s
4. HAMILTON McLaren 1m15.780s
5. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1m15.952s
6. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m15.958s
7. ROSBERG Williams 1m16.003s
8. ALONSO McLaren 1m16.049s
9. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m16.162s
10. SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m16.184s
11. FISICHELLA Renault 1m16.205s
12. KUBICA BMW 1m16.236s
13. WURZ Williams 1m16.260s
14. TRULLI Toyota 1m16.285s
15. BUTTON Honda 1m16.395s
16. WEBBER Red Bull 1m16.562s
17. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m16.735s
18. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m16.950s
19. HEIDFELD BMW 1m16.968s
20. SATO Super Aguri 1m17.165s
21. SUTIL Spyker 1m18.213s
22. ALBERS Spyker 1m18.708s -
Heidfeld has been cleared to race this weekend.
Qualifying will be shown at 9pm, after the Dutch TT MotoGP. -
On ESPN. Watching MotoGP now.Originally posted by Kuali Baba:Qualifying will be shown at 9pm, after the Dutch TT MotoGP.
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Hamilton on top, Ferraris 2 & 3. Alonso 8th, because of mistake at Imola chicane, and had a brake sensor problem before that. An artificial turf from the inside of the final chicane became dislodged and was dragged onto the circuit, causing a red-flag for 25 minutes.
French GP free practice session 3 times
1. HAMILTON McLaren 1m14.843s
2. MASSA Ferrari 1m14.906s
3. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m15.276s
4. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m15.404s
5. FISICHELLA Renault 1m15.489s
6. KUBICA BMW 1m15.535s
7. ROSBERG Williams 1m15.735s
8. ALONSO McLaren 1m15.742s
9. TRULLI Toyota 1m15.801s
10. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m15.802s
11. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1m15.872s
12. BUTTON Honda 1m15.902s
13. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m15.925s
14. SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m15.944s
15. HEIDFELD BMW 1m16.060s
16. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m16.102s
17. WURZ Williams 1m16.104s
18. SPEED Toro Rosso 1m16.161s
19. SATO Super Aguri 1m16.221s
20. WEBBER Red Bull 1m16.573s
21. SUTIL Spyker 1m17.517s
22. ALBERS Spyker 1m17.705s -
Pole position shootout
1. MASSA Ferrari 1m15.034s
2. HAMILTON McLaren 1m15.104s
3. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m15.257s
4. KUBICA BMW 1m15.493s
5. FISICHELLA Renault 1m15.674s
6. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m15.826s
7. HEIDFELD BMW 1m15.900s
8. TRULLI Toyota 1m15.935s
9. ROSBERG Williams 1m16.328s
10. ALONSO McLaren no time*
Session two times
1. HAMILTON McLaren 1m14.795s
2. MASSA Ferrari 1m14.822s
3. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m14.828s
4. KUBICA BMW 1m15.066s
5. ALONSO McLaren 1m15.084s
6. HEIDFELD BMW 1m15.149s
7. FISICHELLA Renault 1m15.227s
8. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m15.272s
9. ROSBERG Williams 1m15.331s
10. TRULLI Toyota 1m15.379s
Knocked out:
11. SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m15.534s
12. BUTTON Honda 1m15.584s
13. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m15.761s
14. WEBBER Red Bull 1m15.806s
15. SPEED Toro Rosso 1m16.049s
16. COULTHARD Red Bull no time
Session one times
1. HAMILTON McLaren 1m14.805s
2. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m14.872s
3. MASSA Ferrari 1m15.303s
4. ALONSO McLaren 1m15.322s
5. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m15.524s
6. WEBBER Red Bull 1m15.746s
7. SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m15.760s
8. KUBICA BMW 1m15.778s
9. HEIDFELD BMW 1m15.783s
10. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m15.915s
11. SPEED Toro Rosso 1m15.980s
12. FISICHELLA Renault 1m16.047s
13. ROSBERG Williams 1m16.092s
14. BUTTON Honda 1m16.113s
15. TRULLI Toyota 1m16.118s
16. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m16.140s
Knocked out:
17. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1m16.142s
18. WURZ Williams 1m16.241s
19. SATO Super Aguri 1m16.244s**
20. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m16.366s
21. ALBERS Spyker 1m17.826s
22. SUTIL Spyker 1m17.915s
* Alonso suffered a gearbox failure on his 1st lap during Q3
** Sato will start 22nd, due to a 10-place penalty for overtaking under yellow flags in the US GP -
There's a 90% chance of rain falling tomorrow. Alonso and Sutil have already said they're hoping for a wet race.
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i always like wet race... schumi is good in wet races
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AU REVOIR TO MAGNY COURS
This, we are told, is to be the last year Formula 1 visits Magny-Cours – perhaps even the last French Grand Prix for the foreseeable future.
And while few in F1 will miss Nevers, the prospect of France losing its place on the calendar should concern anyone with a feeling for the sportÂ’s history.
Much as we British may brag about hosting the inaugural world championship round at Silverstone in 1950, the French have been staging ‘Grand Prix’ races since 1906, when a two-day marathon over rough roads around Le Mans was won at an average speed of 63mph.
In the intervening century, the French GP has been a mainstay of the international racing scene despite numerous changes of venue.
It has produced some of F1Â’s most noteworthy victories: Giancarlo Baghetti winning on his GP debut in 1961 (a feat yet to be matched); PorscheÂ’s only F1 victory the following year; and the first win for a turbocharged car in 1979, which revolutionised F1 engine technology.
And along with its fair share of processional races, it has also delivered moments of high drama.
None more so than the Â’79 race at Dijon, where Gilles Villeneuve and Rene Arnoux earned an eternal place in F1 folklore with a display of uninhibited wheel-to-wheel combat which has never been equalled for sheer intensity and excitement.
Of the seven F1 venues that France has furnished since the start of the world championship, the public road courses of Reims, Rouen and Clermont-Ferrand were among the sportÂ’s most exhilarating theatres.
Magny-Cours pales by comparison, a contrived modern layout of chicanes and hairpins with no overall theme and little character.
ItÂ’s not exactly a bad circuit, but itÂ’s hard to imagine it kindling any great enthusiasm for F1 among those not already won over by the sport.
That said, in the midst of all the tight complexes and constant radii are three very keen bits of racetrack: the long Estoril right-hander at the start of the lap, and the fast chicanes of Nurburgring and Imola.
These three corners, both in person and through the slow-motion ‘mood’ shots in which TV directors delight, give a fine insight into the racing driver’s art and how well his car is handling.
Which is just as well, for Magny-Cours is not renowned for serving up spectacular entertainment or riveting wheel-to-wheel battles.
Last yearÂ’s race was so gripping that Renault issued a press release about the engine rules in the middle of it.
It is, in short, the sort of place where drivers ‘wait for the pit stops’ rather than attempt an overtaking move.
If one man can break that tradition and turn a potential snooze-fest into a thriller, itÂ’s surely Lewis Hamilton, who has shown an uncanny knack for finding inventive new passing places during his first season of F1.
Recently, of course, Hamilton has had no need to exercise those skills, having dominated the two North American races from the front.
No matter how often they are recited, the 22-year-oldÂ’s achievements in his rookie season still beggar belief: seven podiums in seven races, two accomplished wins, and a 10-point title lead over his double world champion team-mate.
ItÂ’s that remarkable record, rather than any real bad blood between the McLaren stable-mates, that has put Fernando AlonsoÂ’s nose out of joint.
The Spaniard admitted at Indianapolis that, while HamiltonÂ’s winter testing pace showed he would have few problems adapting to F1, he had not expected Lewis to set the world alight in the way he has.
As Pat Symonds has observed, Alonso is an intensely competitive individual who finds being beaten extremely difficult to deal with – like most great champions.
But despite the theatrical swerve towards the pit wall, there were signs at Indy that he has begun to readjust his mindset to the reality of his situation, to accept that there will be days when Hamilton beats him fair and square, and others when he has the upper hand.
Unlike in Montreal, Fernando did not throw his car off the road in his efforts to get the better of Lewis; after a concerted bid to take the lead was foiled, he settled for eight points, and embraced his team-mate on the podium.
Perhaps it was a watershed, the moment when Alonso stopped obsessing about being beaten by an upstart rookie and began to acknowledge Hamilton as simply a formidable rival, to whom he will inevitably lose from time to time.
If Fernando has indeed found a new mental equilibrium, he is likely to prove an even more dangerous opponent for Lewis over the remainder of the season, and their rivalry – which, despite the tensions it gives rise to, McLaren has so far given an admirably free rein – will only intensify.
Will AlonsoÂ’s fightback begin at Magny-Cours, where he won convincingly in 2005 and where Hamilton had one of his few less-than-stellar GP2 outings last year?
Or can Ferrari reverse the trend of the last three races and get in on the act?
Certainly, the Maranello squad has been talking up its chances after an encouraging test at Silverstone last week, where Felipe Massa set the fastest time.
The Brazilian believes Ferrari has hit upon the causes of its recent loss of form, and is confident a revised aerodynamic package and other new parts on the F2007 will bridge the performance gap to McLaren.
The biggest problem the team has faced is an inability to generate enough grip from the tyres to match the first-lap pace of its Mercedes-powered rival, which has kept it off the front row of the grid since the Spanish GP and allowed BMW Sauber to get within striking distance.
Given the difficulty of overtaking in France, its fortunes this weekend are likely to hinge on whether it has successfully addressed that handicap.
The first race at Magny-Cours, in 1991, was arguably the best, featuring an absorbing duel between Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell which the Briton won after a pair of opportunistic passing moves at the hairpin.
It would be fitting if the unloved Nevers track could bookend its F1 history with an equally entertaining contest – before what we hope will be the revival of the French GP at another venue in the not-too-distant future.
Alex Sabine -
Humidity: 88%
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So far:
1st - F Massa
2nd - K Raikkonen
3rd - L Hamilton
4th - R Kubica
5th - F Alonso
6th - N Heidfeld
7th - G Fisichella
8th - N Rosberg -
Raikkonen takes lead from Massa, Heidfeld is back in front of Alonso.
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Yay for Ferrari!
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Good on the Iceman...but the race was dull save for Alonso's over-exuberance, Alber's mistake and Kubica going wheel-to-wheel with Hamilton.
Good job by Button and Honda too, they've scored their first point of the season at last.
Something's not right with these results provided by ITV.com - Albers retired just before Speed did and Liuzzi was out on lap 1.
French Grand Prix, Magny-Cours, 70 laps
1. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1hm30m54.200s
2. MASSA Ferrari +2.4s
3. HAMILTON McLaren +29.7s
4. KUBICA BMW +41.7s
5. HEIDFELD BMW +48.8s
6. FISICHELLA Renault +52.2s
7. ALONSO Mclaren +56.5s
8. BUTTON Honda +58.8s
9. ROSBERG Williams +1m08.5s
10. SCHUMACHER Toyota +1 lap
11. BARRICHELLO Honda +1 lap
12. WEBBER Red Bull +1 lap
13. COULTHARD Red Bull +1 lap
14. WURZ Williams +1 lap
15. KOVALAINEN Renault +1 lap
16. SATO Super Aguri +2 laps
17. SUTIL Spyker +2 laps
R. SPEED Toro Rosso +15 laps
R. LIUZZI Toro Rosso +42 laps
R. DAVIDSON Super Aguri +69 laps
R. TRULLI Toyota +69 laps
R. ALBERS Spyker +70 laps
Fastest lap: MASSA 1m16.099s -
1.Originally posted by Kuali Baba:Good job by Button and Honda too, they've scored their first point of the season at last.
Something's not right with these results provided by ITV.com - Albers retired just before Speed did and Liuzzi was out on lap 1.
2.I think they only mixed up Albers & Liuzzi's positions -
Alonso when start from the midfield will encounter badluck again and again... he seem so from the begining of this season. Pressure maybe?
Anyway, Albers was stupid He hit the lolipop guy and snap the fuel rig -
I thought he hit someone else? Afterwards he said he thought the lollipop was up.Originally posted by SBS9828X:Anyway, Albers was stupid He hit the lolipop guy and snap the fuel rig -
Finally Honda snatch their first point.