McLaren drivers currently lead the packFollowing the North American fly-aways, McLaren Mercedes has returned to Europe for the 2007 French Grand Prix to be held on Sunday 1st July. The team arrives in France with a 35-point lead in the Formula 1 Constructors' World Championship, with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso lying in first and second positions in the Drivers' standings with 58 and 48 points respectively. The 2006 race marked the 100th anniversary of the first race that was designated a Grand Prix. Staged near Le Mans on 26th June 1906, 32 cars left the start line for a race that lasted two days and covered 1,238km. Two years later, Christian Lautenschlager clinched the first Mercedes victory in the French Grand Prix; the four-cylinder engine of his car had a displacement of 12.8 litres and an output of 135 bhp. Since the start of the Formula 1 World Championship in 1950, the French Grand Prix has been a permanent fixture on the calendar, with the exception of 1955. Initially held at Reims, the event alternated between Rouen, Clermont Ferrand, Le Castellet, Dijon-Prenois and Le Mans before moving to its current home at Magny Cours in 1991, located some 160 miles/257 kms south of Paris.One of the main features of the Magny Cours circuit is the smooth track surface. There are very few bumps or dips that can affect handling and this allows the teams to run the cars with very low ride heights. For the majority of the track, the kerbs are also fairly low, however at the final chicane, they are higher and can lead to damage to the cars if the exact racing line is not used.
The asphalt is also very dark, and this sees it retain heat, which can have an affect on the wear rate of the tyres. The traction required for the exits of the numerous slow corners can also have an affect on tyre wear. The Magny Cours circuit has reasonable grip levels. There are a number of places where you can pass at Magny Cours, for example the run down to the Adelaide hairpin allows drivers to slipstream and pass under braking. Another opportunity is into the penultimate corner, the right-hander before the final chicane. Again it requires slipstreaming and late braking to take position. Fernando Alonso"I have always liked racing at this track, when you hear people talk about circuits that are technical, Magny Cours is definitely one of them. It is important to have good speed in the slow corners as they tend to lead onto long straights. You have to have good mechanical set-up for the corners and the same with traction for the exits. My favourite sections of the track are the two high-speed chicanes at the back of the circuit. We go through them at speeds of up to 200km/h, which is very fast for a chicane; very special to drive through and unique in Formula 1. Since the United States Grand Prix, I joined the test team at Silverstone for a day. We completed some key programmes as everyone in the team pushes hard to develop performance."
The asphalt is also very dark, and this sees it retain heat, which can have an affect on the wear rate of the tyres. The traction required for the exits of the numerous slow corners can also have an affect on tyre wear. The Magny Cours circuit has reasonable grip levels. There are a number of places where you can pass at Magny Cours, for example the run down to the Adelaide hairpin allows drivers to slipstream and pass under braking. Another opportunity is into the penultimate corner, the right-hander before the final chicane. Again it requires slipstreaming and late braking to take position. Fernando Alonso"I have always liked racing at this track, when you hear people talk about circuits that are technical, Magny Cours is definitely one of them. It is important to have good speed in the slow corners as they tend to lead onto long straights. You have to have good mechanical set-up for the corners and the same with traction for the exits. My favourite sections of the track are the two high-speed chicanes at the back of the circuit. We go through them at speeds of up to 200km/h, which is very fast for a chicane; very special to drive through and unique in Formula 1. Since the United States Grand Prix, I joined the test team at Silverstone for a day. We completed some key programmes as everyone in the team pushes hard to develop performance."
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