McLaren Racing – Everything you need to know for the French Grand Prix

It’s officially official, we’re at the halfway point of the season.

That’s 11 races run, and a combined tally of 1,281 grand prix laps completed. Quite how we got here so fast, we don’t know, but trust us, we’ve done the math. Although you could opt to be of the glass half empty variety, and be sad that we’ve only got half a season left, we’d much rather look at it with a glass half full of French champagne, and be happy that we’ ve still got half a season to go. That’s another 11 grands prix and a possible 662 laps each, starting with this weekend in France.

We’d be shocked if that tally doesn’t put a smile on your faces, but if it hasn’t, then maybe our preview will. We’ve sieved through the history books and combed through the data and picked out the best of the best from our previous visits to France and what you should be looking out for on this occasion. We’ve also got some words of wisdom from Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren F1 Team Principal Andreas Seidl.

Key info

What they say

“With the summer break fast approaching, it’s important we continue to build on our results this season as the midfield gets tighter. Finishing P7 and P9 in Austria was positive after a difficult start to the weekend and it’s great to remain in this battle for fourth in the constructor standings.

“Going back to a standard race weekend format in France should give us the opportunity to improve over the free practice sessions, something we didn’t have available to us at Austria’s Sprint. There is a lot of work to still do but we will continue to push hard on track and secure more points like we did as a team at Paul Ricard last year.”

“Enchanté! I’m looking forward to the French Grand Prix in Le Castellet this weekend. It’s an open track with long straights and some interesting corners like Turn 11, which can be physically challenging.

“Small margins make a big difference and at this stage of the season it’s important we remain consistent with positive results. I was pleased to be back in the points in Austria and we’ll continue to work hard to build momentum with more points in France before heading to Hungary in the double-header.”

“We’re now past the halfway point of the season and after a pleasing result in Austria with both drivers scoring points, everybody in the team is working hard to give us the best chance to continue positive results at the upcoming double-header in France and Hungary.

“The French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard offers a number of opportunities for racing and last year’s results were good for the team with Lando and Daniel finishing P5 and P6, respectively.

“The track is known for its long Mistral straight, but there are also some challenging corners around the track including Turns Eight and Nine, which require a strong exit before heading into Turns 10 and 11. As always the team back at the factory and at the track are determined to make the most of the weekend, before the final race ahead of shut down in Hungary.”

What the stats say

Having hosted the first race to be titled as a grand prix more than 100 years ago, France is the oldest grand prix – although the event looked quite different then. Won by Hungarian Ferenc Szisz, the race was held over two days, lasting 12 hours, on a 65-mile circuit outside of Le Mans.

This weekend’s edition is likely to be around 10 hours or so shorter, and will be held on Le Castellet’s 5,842km circuit on the French Riviera, the country’s 16th different grand prix venue.

We’ve won it five times in our history, with Frenchman Alain Prost notably taking victory on home soil two years in a row, 1988 and 1989. The Frenchman holds the record for the largest margin of victory at Le Castellet, finishing the race in ’89 with a 44.017’s advantage. James Hunt (1976), Niki Lauda (1984) and David Coulthard (2000) share our other three wins between them.

Alain Prost won the 1989 Grand Prix by 44.017s

After a 10-year absence, the French Grand Prix returned to the calendar in 2018, meaning that Lando and Daniel actually share a similar level of F1 experience on the track. Lando is yet to finish outside of the top 10 in France, placing ninth on his F1 debut there in 2019 and then fifth on his second appearance in 2021.

Daniel only has one more start than Lando in F1 machinery on French soil, narrowly missing out on a podium in 2018, with fourth place. He then finished 11th in 2019 and sixth in his first season with McLaren in 2021.

session times

What to watch out for

Gorilla statues aside, there’s plenty to love about the Le Castellet-based circuit.

Just because it’s typically known as a testing venue, that doesn’t mean overtaking isn’t possible. As one of the widest tracks on the calendar, there’s ample space for cars to go three, four or even five-wide.

As well as providing plenty of width, the mile-long Mistal Straight, which allows for slipstreaming and DRS, gives a driver a lot of time to chase down an opponent, with speeds here previously recorded in excess of 300km/h.

Lando and Daniel finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 2021 French Grand Prix

Its testing tag does have several benefits too, with a mixture of high, medium and low-speed corners presenting a variety of challenges.

After experiencing elevation changes of 63.3 meters from the lowest to the highest point at the Red Bull Ring in the last round, drivers will be faced with a much flatter ride at Paul Ricard, with an elevation change of just 30 meters due to it being built on a plateau.

What to wear

One of the many reasons that the Circuit Paul Ricard makes such a good testing facility is its consistently pleasant weather conditions. So with sunshine almost a certainty, you’d be wise to stock up on a new pair of shades from SunGod.

Why SunGod? We’re glad you asked. Their industry-leading lens technology and adventure-proof frames ensure you see with greater clarity, safe in the knowledge that they won’t break.

And if they do? Then SunGod’s Lifetime Guarantee means you won’t be without them for long.

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McLaren Creators

Every week, our social channels and the McLaren Technology Center post room are chock-a-block with amazing art pieces that our fans have created and sent to us. Going through them always warms our hearts, and so we wanted to share the love.

Whether you’re a skilled sketcher, a budding paper mache artist, or prefer to paint by numbers, our new McLaren Creators segment will highlight our favorite pieces from our inspired fanbase.

This week we’re spotlighting 18-year-old Dutch creator Naomi’s custom-made McLaren clothing.

In this week’s McLaren Creators, we’re spotlighting 18-year-old Dutch creator Naomi’s custom-made McLaren clothing

“I’m currently studying interior design but since I was a little girl I’ve always loved to draw, design and paint things! Besides that, I grew up in a family where we never missed an opportunity to watch any kind of motorsport. My love for Formula 1 became bigger and bigger and especially my love for McLaren!

“So, I decided I should combine both passions and create my own Daniel and Lando clothing. I started designing and after that, I painted it on the shoes and clothes. It was an absolute pleasure to create!”

Want to have your works of art featured in our preview and on our channels? Send us your creations by tagging McLaren and using the hashtag #McLarenCreators.

Plus one

You’ve just had to endure a weekend off from F1 racing, and we know that’s never easy, so we felt you deserved a treat.

We’re five-time French Grand Prix winners and in honor of that fact, we’ll be giving away five pairs of limited edition Automobilist 2022 McLaren Formula 1 team driver posters. Each one has been signed by Lando and Daniel and we think they’d look brilliant on your walls.

Fortunately, this weekend you had Felix Rosenqvist’s first INDYCAR podium for Arrow McLaren SP to enjoy, but for the weekends where there isn’t any racing on TV, these posters will at least give you something nice to look at.

You can sign up HERE to be in with a chance of winning.

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Win signed driver posters

Limited edition Automobilist posters signed by Lando and Daniel

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