Magny-Cours Circuit

The tarmac surface at the Magny Cours circuit is rather unique because it is so smooth. There is a plastic membrane that was laid down during the construction of the track and this combined with the local materials used to construct the track has produced a very smooth racing surface. This smooth surface allows the teams to set the ride height of the cars lower and also to set the wings much closer to the ground. This helps to maximise the aerodynamics of the car, but it does make setting the balance of the car very technical and difficult. The suspension of the cars is also set much stiffer than normal, so when a driver goes over a kerb it will feel much more ...  Read the complete review

* The Track * Looking from above like some sort of demented pac man, Magny-Cours is a modern circuit that nearly always tends to produce a rather dull race. Fun to drive on but not to race on, the large number of fast corners means that any wannabe overtaker will struggle in the dirty air of the overtakee preventing from having any real chance of getting close enough. Therefore the two best overtaking sections on the track are around the two heavy breaking zones. The Adelaide bend (Scene of the DC finger last year) and the Chicane/Lycee bend section, just prior to the main straight. Obviously these would make for the best viewing locations. If ...  Read the complete review

The French claim that their country is the birthplace of Motor Racing. This may be true but it is not the home of Formula One. Most of the teams come from UK and the only team based in France are the "Tail End Charlies"Prost Team run by Alain Prost. Yet they make their testing ground at the French home to the Grand Prix, Magny Cours. For many years in the 70's and early 80's, the French Grand Prix was held at Paul Ricard Circuit. After some political reorganisation and the lack of money, it was moved to the newer venue at Magny Cours. Paul Ricard was fast with a very long Start Finish straight but by modern standards, would prove ...  Read the complete review

The home of the French Grand Prix, the Circuit De Nevers Magny-Cours is not a remarkable track but it does have a few interesting points. The 2.64 mile track features a variety of corners, all named after the great F1 circuits of the world. It is a recently new addition to the Grand Prix calendar, replacing the old French Grand Prix which was held at the Paul Richard track. From the start line the track sweeps left through Grand Courbe, then heads right through the endless Estoril bend. The lateral g-forces around here are high and contribute to the tracks tyre wear, a problem which Ferrari were affected by last year. In the latter stages of the race you could ...  Read the complete review