2006 FRENCH GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
The 2006 Formula 1 Championship returns to Europe this week
following the two North American fly-away races. France is
the location for the 11th Grand Prix of the season.
Pedro de la Rosa will join Kimi Raikkonen in the race driver
line-up for the French Grand Prix, as Team McLaren Mercedes
and Juan Pablo Montoya have mutually agreed for him to step
down in the forthcoming races of this year's Formula 1 World
Championship. Pedro will make his second race appearance for
the team following a thrilling points scoring debut in the
2005 Bahrain Grand Prix.
100 years ago, France was the location for the first automobile
race to be called a Grand Prix. On 26th June 1906 32 cars
set-off at 90 second intervals on the circuit, which was formed
of public roads. The race lasted for two days over a distance
of 1,238 km. The race, which was staged near Le Mans, was
won two years later by Christian Lautenschlager, clinching
the first Mercedes victory in the event. The four-cylinder
engine of his car had a displacement of 12.8 litres and an
output of 135 bhp.
The French Grand Prix has also been a permanent fixture on
the calendar since the start of the Formula 1 World Championship
in 1950, with the exception of 1955. The race was initially
run at Reims where Mercedes-Benz took a one-two victory with
Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling on their return to Grand
Prix racing in 1954. The French Grand Prix then alternated
between Rouen, Reims, Clermont Ferrand, Paul Ricard, Dijon-Prenois
and Le Mans before moving in 1991 to its current home at Magny
Cours.
KIMI RAIKKONEN
"The team has been testing really hard last week, and
we will be bringing new parts to the car for the French Grand
Prix. The car felt good at Indy and with our strategy we would
have secured a couple of solid points finishes. Magny Cours
can be quite a challenging track to set-up for, because its
characteristics change a lot, probably more so than at most
other circuits. However I quite like driving here, it seems
to suit my style and I hope we can have another good race
this year. It is a slow track, with low speed corners, hairpins
and no major straights, it is a total contrast to the previous
three circuits we have raced at. Magny Cours has a smooth
surface, with no bumps and less kerbs, as a result we can
run with more front wing and a lower ride height, as the car
is less upset by kerbs and bumps. You tend to generate high
tyre temperatures here, so blistering can be a problem, this
is because the track gets very hot during the day due to the
blackness of the asphalt. The track also has reasonable grip
levels.
PEDRO DE LA ROSA
"I'm of course extremely thrilled to have this opportunity
to race the MP4-21 – a car in which I'm really comfortable.
People don't always link it to Magny Cours, but you can overtake
here, you just need to make sure your set-up allows you to
do so. The only real place to do it is by getting good speed
along Golf, the stretch between Estoril and Adelaide. You
need to take Estoril really well behind the car ahead, and
this needs to be considered when you are working on set-up.
If you get the right set-up you can then push the limits through
the sweeping Estoril and have the speed you need in order
to pass. Most things about Magny Cours are fairly medium in
nature from the downforce, brake severity to tyre wear. Another
characteristic of the track is the number of corners, and
this means it can be quite physical if it is hot."
MARTIN WHITMARSH, CEO FORMULA 1, TEAM McLAREN MERCEDES
"As always winning is our aim and, with all the hard
work the team have done, we are pushing very hard towards
achieving that result. The MP4-21 has made a step forward,
and we hope that at France, which is of course Michelin's
home race, we are able to demonstrate this. Everyone within
the team welcomes Pedro to the race car this weekend, who
has completed more than 9,500 test kilometres in the MP4-21
to date. We completed a comprehensive test programme last
week at Jerez and now have one more session remaining before
the August break. The work completed will allow us to bring
online developments to the cooling package. The test team
have an intensive work load and are pushing the development
programme forward as we seek to find the performance enhancement
we need from the MP4-21."
NORBERT HAUG, VICE PRESIDENT, MERCEDES-BENZ MOTORSPORT
"It was bitter to lose both cars already at the second
corner after the start of the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis.
The three races before the team had shown an upward trend.
We had a chance of winning in two races and finally claimed
three podium positions. A podium would have been possible
also in the USA, not least because of our tyre choice and
our one-stop strategy. At Magny Cours our aim is to continue
that trend and we all welcome Pedro at his first race since
Bahrain last year. Our last test at Jerez was positive and
we now have to improve in order to win races. A focused and
concentrated process will help to achieve our targets.”
USEFUL STATISTICS
French Grand Prix - - McLaren - Team McLaren Mercedes - Kimi
- Pedro
Circuit length 4.411 km Race starts 606 196 97 64
2.741 miles Race wins 148 44 9 -
Race distance 308.586 km Pole Positions 122 43 9 -
191.755 miles Points 3106.5 1199 320 10
Laps 70 Podiums 390 137 34 -
Inaugural race 1950 Fastest Laps 129 59 18 1
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