c/o Wiki ........ The Circuit Paul Ricard (French pronunciation: ?[si?k?i p?l ?ika?]) is a French motorsport race track built in 1969 at Le Castellet, Var, near Marseille, with finance from pastis magnate Paul Ricard. Ricard wanted to experience the challenge of building a racetrack. The circuit has been part of the FIA Formula One since the 2018 Formula One World Championship as the French Grand Prix, previously serving in 1971, 1973, 1975-1976, 1978, 1980, 1982-1983, as well as from 1985 to 1990. Track The shorter circuit layout, created in 1986 The track is characterised by its long Mistral straight (1.8 km, 1.1 mi) and elongated track design. The track is also unusual in that it is built on a plateau: it is very flat. In 1986 the track was modified to shorten the circuit, by adding shortcut through to the middle of the Mistral Straight. This shorter circuit is also known as the GP short circuit and is 3.813 km (2.369 mi) long. The track offers 167 possible configurations from 0.826 km (0.513 mi) to the full 5.861 km (3.642 mi).[8] The track's elevation ranges from 408 to 441 m (1,339 to 1,447 ft) above sea level. Its flexibility and mild winter weather mean that it is used for testing by several motorsport teams, including Formula One teams. The track is known for its distinctive black and blue run-off areas known as the Blue Zone. The runoff surface consists of a mixture of asphalt and tungsten, used instead of gravel traps, as common at other circuits] A second, deeper run-off area is the Red Zone, with a more abrasive surface designed to maximize tyre grip and hence minimize braking distance, although at the cost of extreme tyre wear. The final safeguard consists of Tecpro barriers, a modern improvement on tyre barriers In 2019 the pitlane entry will be moved following safety concerns. The entry, which was previously accessed via the main straight, will now be situated between the final two corners (turns 14 and 15)

PIRELLI GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE