2007 FRENCH GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has returned to Europe following
the North American fly-aways for the 2007 French Grand Prix
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.
FAST FACTS
What are the key characteristics of the Magny Cours
track?
One of the main features of the 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.
Are there many overtaking opportunities at this circuit?
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.
When did the first French Formula 1 Grand Prix take
place?
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.
TEAM QUOTES
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. I also attended an event for our Partner
Mutua Madrilena in Madrid. After the back to back races it
seems like a long time since we last raced, I want to get
back on track and am really motivated to drive the MP4-22.
It is a quick car and I hope we can get the best out of it
at Magny Cours. Although they have very different characteristics
in general, there are some similarities between Magny Cours
and Monaco, as they have a lot of tight, twisty corners and
both have a medium –- high downforce set-up. The car
performed well at Monaco and I am looking forward to getting
it out on track in France on Friday"
Lewis Hamilton
"The French round of the GP2 championship last year was
not my best weekend, I had a coming together in the first
race and therefore started race two in 19th. I did make my
way up through the field to 5th to score some points, so it
is possible to overtake here. Although you always want to
be on pole, you can pass at Magny Cours and there is a short
pit lane that means there are more strategy options, as it
is not as much of a penalty when you stop for tyres and fuel.
The pit lane is slightly longer than it used to be but it
is still very quick. After the results in Canada and the United
States it was great to come home and see my family and friends.
I will also have the opportunity to go to the Goodwood Festival
of Speed this weekend; I expect the atmosphere will be incredible
and it should be great to drive the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
car up the hill in front of the British fans. For the past
week I have been spending time at the McLaren Technology Centre
working with the engineering team and catching up on some
training and I participated in an event for Vodafone in London
on Thursday. Now I just want to get back out on track. My
aims remain the same, to take it race by race and keep focused
on scoring good points for myself and the team."
Martin Whitmarsh, CEO Formula 1, Vodafone McLaren
Mercedes
“Magny Cours is, despite the faster sections, characterised
by low speed hairpins and medium-fast corners and chicanes.
As a result you see the team opt for a medium-high downforce
configuration. On Thursday of this week, we completed one
of our most intensive tests of the year so far, our test team
worked tirelessly to prove a myriad of components alongside
a massive amount of effort being put in across the organisation.
We have a fight on our hands to maintain, and ideally extend,
the lead we have in the Constructors’ World Championship
and the Drivers’ table with both Fernando and Lewis.
Ferrari and BMW are not standing still; our job within the
team is to keep providing Fernando and Lewis with a car capable
of winning. There is no complacency and the motivation is
considerable."
Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Our brand and motor racing have both a long tradition
in France. 113 years ago, the first-ever automobile race in
the world was staged here, and it was won by a car with Daimler
engine. 101 years ago, the first race with the name Grand
Prix was held in France. Mercedes-Benz won this event 99 years
ago with Christian Lautenschlager. In the brand’s first
Formula 1 race, Mercedes-Benz took a 1-2 victory with Juan
Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling on 4th July 1954. Compared to
that, our balance in Magny-Cours so far is not as good –-
only one win with David Coulthard in 2000. In 2007, Vodafone
McLaren Mercedes have so far achieved results, which are unique
in the history of Formula 1. The team have always finished
in the points with both cars and have taken 12 out of 14 possible
podium positions. On average, we scored more than 15 points
per race with 18 points as the maximum in best case. A good
interim balance; however, not more than that. We will all
continue to work hard, to assure our reliability and to further
improve our speed; the upcoming ten races are even more important
than the first seven."
MAGNY COURS INFORMATION
Circuit length 4.411km / 2.741 miles
Race distance 308.586km / 191.755 miles
Laps 70
Number of corners 17
Inaugural Grand Prix 1950
VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES STATISTICS
Fernando Lewis Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Race Starts 95 7 621
Race Wins 17 2 152
Pole Positions 16 2 128
Points 429 58 3265.5
Podiums 41 7 405
Fastest Laps 10 1 133
2007 Constructors’ World Championship
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 106
Ferrari 71
BMW Sauber 39
Renault 25
WilliamsF1 13
Toyota 9
Red Bull 6
Super Aguri 4
2007 Drivers’ World Championship
Lewis Hamilton 58
Fernando Alonso 48
Felipe Massa 39
Kimi Raikkonen 32
Nick Heidfeld 26
Giancarlo Fisichella 13
Heikki Kovalainen 12
Robert Kubica 12
Alex Wurz 8
Jarno Trulli 7
Nico Rosberg 5
David Coulthard 4
Takuma Sato 4
Ralf Schumacher 2
Mark Webber 2
Sebastian Vettel 1
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