Organisers of the French Grand Prix have revealed which of Paul Ricard’s 167 layouts will be used when Formula 1 returns there in 2018.
Those of us hoping to see F1 cars tackle the entire 1.8km Mistral Straight will be disappointed – they’ll be using the ‘1C-V2’ circuit layout, which incorporates the full length of the track but breaks up the straight with a chicane. Boooooo. They’ll also be using the slower version of the Verrerie S at turn one.
Still, the track does have some pretty long straights even with the chicane, and F1 cars will probably be going rather fast when they reach the high-speed Signes corner. It should make for an awesome sight, especially with the faster cars which are being introduced next year.
The total length of this layout is 3.6 miles (5.8 km), which means the Grand Prix will be a total of 53 laps.