Is The French GP Circuit Really THAT BAD?

[@andrigtmiller]

All the strips and the different configurations makes it difficult to look at, but with the new cars this year, I think that it could produce a really good race with a lot of overtaking. We will see.

[@louiscastro2701]

There's gotta be tape or temporary paint or something they can lay down to make the circuit more clear. It's so jarring to see cars run straight pass "turns" and not knowing which one they're actually going into.

[@freddiefreihofer7716]

@@louiscastro2701 Exactly!! And I get dizzy looking at all those crazy stripes flying by.

[@Hippida]

This! I so love those circuits with one color run of areas, some tracks even have colors making it easier for drivers(and me self) to see when corners start and end... This track though, it looks like they had a ton of paint laying around, and thought, heck, let's use it

[@HelpOrNot]

It literally makes me sea sick just watching the coverage. I’d like to watch the GP. But I’m not physically capable without feeling really really nauseous

[@niftygrower2745]

There you go! A positive attitude. I agree, it does have potential for a good race.

[@LukeFancher]

2:34 It does have an iconic corner: Signes (the right flick at the end of the Mistral straight) used to be a heck of a corner in the circuit's prime (1970s).

[@georgegoble6054]

that is a beautiful track, we in the US dont have any tracks that look great like this, i have never seen it until i saw practice on ESPN this morning,, i dont know what kind of racing it creates, but visually stunning, F1 boring racing anyway with no passing, funny when the chinese guy flipped his car over the other day, that big safety piece that is right in the drivers eyes saved his rice, i think F1's racism is why suddenly Lewis Hamilton doesnt have the car to dominate anymore, he's still the best driver but suddenly his equipment not good enough to dominate

[@rhwing5095]

@@georgegoble6054 Hamilton isn't dominant because of racism? You mean the 7 time world champion, Lewis Hamilton? Holy moly.... people will find racism wherever they want to, I guess.

[@georgegoble6054]

@@rhwing5095 Is this Mr Nelson Piquet ? an honor to meet u sir, Mr Piquet I know u arent the only old moron associated with F1 that feels this way about LH, but u guys r holding him down now real good with his shitty new car

[@majorplothole2620]

@RHWing That, and the guy was just talking about how funny it was Zhou Guanyu crashed (I watched it, it was most certainly - not funny.) and then says that the safety gear 'saved his rice' - before accusing F1/FIA of racism. Its actually a bit ironic.

[@HUE_Larry]

There have been literally only two GPs in 2018 and 2019 and since then everybody hated it for being so boring. And then 2021 came

[@GrouRocks]

It was already boring in the 80's and 70's too when they raced here.

[@soundscape26]

Spa for instance is a great circuit no doubt but there has been a handful of boring races there in the past decade. Not saying Paul Ricard is better than Spa (it clearly isn't) but sometimes having a great race doesn't depend on the track itself.

[@Sparkasm]

@@GrouRocks All the newbies don't realise we've had this track for 50 years, changing the runs off has done nothing, it's still horrible

[@_BloodWork_]

Just because we had a battle for the lead at the end of the race doesn’t make it great. If 95% of the race is boring 5% isn’t good enough.

[@charlesgarcia4660]

@@soundscape26 I agree but, watching an F1 car go around Spa looks fantastic. This track, is an eye sore with ugly run off area & the frankly boring corners

[@marv2507]

I like driving the track myself. I just don't enjoy how it looks on TV. Watching it is just so unappealing with all those red, blue and white lines in the runoff areas. I know they are there to mark the areas with the rough surface that punish going wide, but there needs to be a better solution.

[@sabaibai9338]

We should have at leat listened and improved it but 0 efforts were done sooo

[@timf4015]

"...a better solution."? Yeah- just paint the abrasive stripes shades of grey. And don't have any more F1 races here. A zero-threat test track is an inherently bad idea for compelling action.

[@PG-20]

Last year proved us wrong, and with how the racing is going this year, it will be a banger. It was really the car’s fault all this time

[@montruo000000007]

I guess we’ll find out this wknd

[@burningfreeman1]

I dont look positive at this race in general yes cars are more close and competitive. But also more bulky. And if I remember correct going on the blue or red will destroy your tires. So I dont know but it can end amazing on track battles real fast.

[@gelmir7322]

I would say the race last year should be considered as "standard" for the sport, not really great but something that should be expected. especially considering that this track is actually designed for racing, unlike, say Monaco which by design (or lack thereof), is expected to produce boring races. The only reasons we find the race "exciting" back then were because - the track is notorious for being boring in the first place, fans came in with low expectation by default and where quite surprise when some things actually happened, and - the sport suffers from the lack of competition during the long years of mercedes domination, fans are thirsting for anything that remotely looks entertaining back then, especially if it involves the defeat of Mercedes.

[@tuttutteddy8889]

one good year doesn’t wipe clean two boring years not to mention it was kinda only 5 laps of excitement

[@nallid7357]

I'm hoping that since we have closer racing, most of the tracks will improve. Maybe once the cars are smaller, Monaco might be an option, but I doubt it.

[@KutsuuG]

Aside from the runoff issues in real racing, I love this track when it comes up in the F1 games. It has a really satisfying mix of corners. Reminds me a lot of COTA, and doesn't have some 'legendary' corner... but does it have to? I mean people know the names of all the corners and bumps at Monaco, but the only thing exciting there is qualifying.

[@kasimahmed3841]

Same here, always good fun to race at, one of my best timed tracks as well

[@Nick_J_]

COTA sucks too

[@pedrobernardi9409]

It is NOT a bad track at all, not an amazing one, but not an awful one! First thing: We only had 3 GPs there, an average one (2018), an boring one (2019) and an amazing one (2021). People shouldn't judge track quality by such a small amount of races. Look at Baku, for example, in 2016 the race was terrible and the whole internet hated the track, suddenly the famous race of 2017 came and they already put the track as a fan favorite. Second thing: The track layout is kind of reasonable. It has a bit of a bad flow in sector 1, yes, but it has good overtaking opportunities on both parts of the Mistral straight (so much so that the 2021 French GP it was the second most overtaking race in the season), and it has a very fun sequence of high corners in sector 3, (without the Tilke's formula of tight curves and short radius). Third thing: people's hatred for this track, and I understand that perfectly, is that it's bad for the eyes with the blue and red stripes. Also, the circuit does not make a good separation of layouts, which is also visually disturbing. Fans unfortunally tend to confuse an ugly track with a bad layout track, but you can't blame them for that...

[@maxlvl01]

DRS overtaking is not good racing

[@AbsoleteAim]

@@maxlvl01 Remove DRS and the amount of overtakes in any track drop dramatically. Moot point.

[@MmmmmmmmEarHair]

@@AbsoleteAim You shouldn't get an advantage just because you are behind someone. They are in front because they are the better driver. If they were better, DRS wouldn't be needed. It's a crutch

[@sonomortolol]

Yeah

[@KristianLyubenovYT]

@@MmmmmmmmEarHair drs was initially added because the dirty air from the front car was getting so bad that cars behind literally couldn't properly follow the leading car through the corners, basically giving the guy with free air a cruise to the win. drs allowed in those days for the cars behind to have a chance to fight and if you can't pass then you're not good enough. now tho with the substantial decrease in dirty air drs is straight up op

[@rafaelfermin4619]

The drivers were asked again this year about the track and Seb again said that he would prefer racing in Magny-Cours or Dijon. So yeah it is that bad

[@blubblubblubblubblubblub]

I don't think that says anything about the entertainment factor tho. Every driver loves Monaco but that doesn't make it a good track for overtaking or interesting racing..

[@bjdmcvxd7542]

@@blubblubblubblubblubblub Well yes, But Paul Ricard isn't interesting to drive or watch

[@tigerchuu2148]

@@bjdmcvxd7542 then you didn’t watch last year 😂

[@bjdmcvxd7542]

@@tigerchuu2148 Wasn't really good racing, just good strategy

[@pradhilia6111]

I prefer Dijon over any other french track... Maybe because i live there ? ^^

[@rxmalik_2791]

Yes. Yes it is.

[@burningfreeman1]

Not only that remember last year trofy? Freaking kingkong statue lol 😆

[@OumuamuaOumuamua]

Ok

[@KFB4LIFE8]

It's the best race

[@joseportillo1699]

@@burningfreeman1 it reminds me of a similar trophy for the NASCAR Cup race at Dover speedway

[@Mboldes]

LOL

[@2ShoesPhoto]

If they ditch the stripes everywhere that make us all insane, it'll be a great course!

[@McGiblet69]

I'm colorblind and can't play this track on the F1 game because of those stupid lines

[@Alex_49_YT]

Actually, I enjoy driving Paul Riccard on the F1 game, as it is a challenging layout with some slow corners in Sector 1 and a very tricky traction zone before the main straight in Sector 2, followed by the Chicane du Nord which splits the Mistrale straight into two parts. A good exit there sets you up for a possible overtake into the flat out right hander. The last sector has some flowing corners you need to absolutely nail to get any sort of lap time, however you can’t run to much downforce, as the main straight and the run from the Chicane du Nord down to turn 11 will punish a too draggy set up heavily. It’s a challenge for the car and the driver, as well as finding the right balance in set up. You want rotation bit a too aggressive suspension is likely to spin you out through turns 6 and 12 especially and maybe even turns 1 and 2, but you want to avoid understeer without adding downforce.

[@jnhschrbr3118]

It’s an absolute banger on the games. Especially online/with friends as even if you’re not left space by inexperienced companions it’s still possible to continue racing and battle for the next corner. Had some of the best racing there

[@graueliot9327]

Thanks for at least defending it a bit. It’s a great track in games and with the new cars it will be a banger. With all the hate this gp is getting French fans don’t know how to act and defend it. We still hope it stays or be replaced by a more famous track but still it’s unfair to label it bad because of two bad races.

[@maxzifyfn7820]

@@graueliot9327 exactly man its my favourite track on the games, completely agree

[@sonomortolol]

I do too

[@stevendawson6032]

@@graueliot9327 yeah they should bring Magny Cours back that was a great track

[@randomcommenterheredontmin4390]

From a driving standpoint, i actually think it's quite flowing (even with sections like turns 3-7). It is overall quite decent track.

[@capybararacing9807]

Factos

[@stpbasss3773]

Yeah racing this track on the F1 game is really fun.

[@GrimmGrinn]

Agreed, it's a very enjoyable track to drive in the game. It just looks so bad tho...

[@Gadottinho]

@@GrimmGrinn that's subjective, imo it looks amazing, easily the best looking track

[@triplemoyagames4195]

I think the circuit is one of the most unique one, and last year should good racing occurs when the cars are competitive. Based of the races so far, I am sure it will be exciting

[@Petitvon17]

Lol

[@Anoniem1992]

How to fix the french GP: 1. The racing: The racing can be easily fixed by choosing the first configuration for the first corner (flat out S corner). Cars can follow better then so that the next chicane becomes an overtaking spot. The rest of the circuit is actually pretty good to overtake and follow. I don't actually understand why they haven't tried this, since it's already there. 2. Asphalt The amount of asphalt should be reduced, especially with the blue lines which causes headaches in some people. Asphalt reduces the tension of the watcher and drivers, where they can easily go off track. Add more gravel and grass instead and some corners will become iconic.

[@vded13]

Epilepsy here I come! C’mon guys, eyes are hurting with this circuit! As much as I love circuits instead of city tracks I wouldn’t be bothered if this one is sacked.

[@GeePeeSterRace]

same simply can not stand to watch any race on it, please drop those colors. lack of character? nope ... simply massive overshoot of dizzingly weird colors

[@Marrrrrko47]

The runoff isnt even *that* ugly

[@SkankHunt007]

A wee bit racist, lad. How can you say some colors are ok but others aren’t?

[@nallid7357]

@@SkankHunt007 He's not racist, don't worry. He has a colored TV.

[@hallamhal]

And good luck working out if a car's over the track limit with all those busy lines going on

[@vilgotlandstrom3815]

I think it was George Russel who said in an interview after the Saudi GP that he preferred unforgiving tracks with less run of area as it shows the true skill of a driver. I agree and believe tracks like the French GP only favors those who cannot perform the sport flawlessly. Thus not a good GP.

[@Julius_Sneezer1]

If Zandvoort can be remodeled, then so can Magny-Cours.

[@LundProdReplay]

The main problem with Magny-cours is not the track itself, but the things around. It's in the middle of nowhere, so it's not made to receive a lot of people, it's hard to access since it's not near a big city with train or airport, etc. In term of track or infrastructures, work have already been done between 2010 and 2014, but it's not enough to host a F1 GP nowadays

[@colehartel7206]

It may be one of the longest circuits, but so much of it all looks identical, so it never really feels like they're going very far from the start.

[@artichokefn2678]

Hopefully these new regulations will make the race entertaining.

[@steamkrypton2990]

You still can't pollish a turd. It just Looks sooo Bad Design wise.

[@Marrrrrko47]

@@steamkrypton2990 keep hating

[@steamkrypton2990]

@@Marrrrrko47 I Just don't Like the Design, if it can Produce good Racing I'm fine with that. I still think the Red/ White/ blue Line Design Looks hideous. Wasn't meant to offend. In my own opinion it Looks super ugly and maybe they should consider repainting it or something to make it more easy on the eyes

[@Marrrrrko47]

@@steamkrypton2990 the runoff has nothing to do with the layour or racing

[@steamkrypton2990]

@@Marrrrrko47 I Said I didn't Like the Design(Especially the Lines, as I find them distasteful and distracting), nothing about the Layout itself. But If we are at it, you certainly Could Change some Bits Here and there in Order to improve Racing overall. But that can be Said about every Track.

[@JimmyM205]

It has the ability to produce good racing and I'm looking forward to seeing what these new cars do around it. But I still don't like it. A track with no character and no iconic corners. For me, it's a track that's been drawn on a bit of paper.

[@supersasukemaniac]

Hot take: I think the racing at Paul Richard is actually pretty good when you take into consideration that it isn't a purpose built Grand Prix track, but a testing track, and as a result of it's test track nature it has multiple potential layouts, considering how confusing it is, the fact they can hold races on it at all is amazing.

[@hdr_diamondz]

Well Formula 1 isn't a testing ground bar pre-season testing, but a racing ground. So it should be judged by racing standards.

[@supersasukemaniac]

@@hdr_diamondz I mean that is true, but the track already has it hard enough being a test track first, and a racing track second. Evidenced by the lack of any real "obstacles" in the run off area, no Grass, no Gravel, just Rumble Strips.

[@BigFatCock0]

Your comment boils down to "it's good because it's shit". Grade A point you made there.

[@Fractured_Unity]

@@BigFatCock0 it’s good because it’s unique

[@Gadottinho]

@@hdr_diamondz so what is a great track if not by diversity, Monaco could be considered great too if we consider your logic

[@philipparrock8147]

A few drivers mentioned removing the chicane in the middle of the straight last year. Assuming thats not allowed by the F1 regs because the speed would be too high But it would be very entertaining to see F1 cars pass and repass each other on slipstream and DRS in the same straight.

[@Chulksmack7]

This is the year for the French GP to shine. Medium and high speed corners will favor the ground effect. I think it could be a really scrappy race.

[@luuduonghy659]

I hope we don’t see a DRS train But I also hope they host it on April since this can had a wet weather Wet= Chaotic race

[@DaniMacYo]

It’s a fun track as a driver. But I do prefer the old French GP circuit as I enjoyed that as driver even more than this one. The old GP had great character and those fast flowing chicanes are awesome.

[@nicholashe1198]

Lmao I challenge anyone to find an “iconic corner” on a track that hasn’t been given enough time to be iconic. Maybe Turn 8 at Turkey is the most recent truly iconic corner, and it was a 2005 Tilke circuit.

[@Arsenic71]

It scares me to think that a truly iconic track like Spa might go while this one stays. I don't hate this track, I just think it lacks character. But that might also be due to the fact nothing really exciting has happened there for the past 20 years.

[@trob1731]

It's a sea of pavement with lines painted on it. Big, fancy go kart track.

[@ZachSawyer2077]

My main issue with this track is those blue, white and red stripes painted everywhere, they give me headaches and they make it really difficult for me to understand what layout is currently being used. It also gives me the feeling of a track with multiple crossroads inside, like they are racing in an actual city centre. I think the image sent by Captain Lautner perfectly represents what I see when they race at Paul Ricard. To fix this, they could simply paint only around the layout they chose instead of every single road or maybe just add some signals or borders that can help delimitate the actual track visually and physically.

[@aspark4338]

People say Magny-Cours was so mush better but I don’t remember it that way to me they’re about even. I’ve never driven Magny-Cours (sim racing) so I can’t really talk from a drivers standpoint but I do like messing with the layouts in the sim

[@yahyarajaee5883]

2:19 as a person who lives in France, he’s absolutely right. It’s not the best track France has to offer.

[@andrearaoul1564]

Le Mans est trop escarpé pour la F1 et Magny Court n’est peut être pas le circuit le plus aimé, mais au delà de ça je ne vois pas quel circuit il y a d’autre… Montlhéry peut être (il est un peu vieux)

[@michael_schumacher5616]

@@andrearaoul1564 magny cours was way better than Paul Ricard in my opinion

[@luuduonghy659]

@Michael_Schumacher Can you tell me why?

[@michael_schumacher5616]

@@luuduonghy659 the race track was a lot better in my opinion, was more flowing and wasnt so bland and actually had some tighter areas

[@tanmaykulkarni1033]

It is. I mean, I didn't even feel like watching the highlight in the previous years. It is so difficult to focus on the cars with so many colored strips around.

[@tiagobelo4965]

It suffers from the same major issue as one of the middle Eastern f1 circuits (can't really recall the name of it), lack of elevation change. If tery are there they are tiny, it makes the track seem like a slab of tarmac with some lines painted on, and completely removes the visual interest (and in car visibility). There's also the excess of long straights (once again not a unique problem), which makes it utterly tedious (and adds too many chances for drs mindgame tomfoolery).

[@LucasOliveira-tt2ll]

Funny that Paul Ricard is sort of a turning point in french motorsports. Before this track there was in France tracks that were merely sweeping country roads more dangerous than Nordschleife and Spa combined and while drivers could have fatal crashes in other tracks from the era, in France the danger was always raised to 11. Then Paul Ricard built Paul Ricard and new standarts were set for tracks

[@SuperheroStrength]

I don't mind it. Last year's race was quite good. I just don't know how the drivers don't go off the track more often. All of those coloured lines makes the whole thing look like a blur. Can't imagine what it's like at speed.

[@on_wheels_80]

I have to say, in Assetto Corsa Competizione with its GT3 cars and the corresponding layout, I rather enjoy the track. You can really send the car in places and the ever-changing radii are a nice challenge and provide different line options for setting up a pass. The long straight is a blast as well, and the physiotape all over the place is actually kind of iconic, at least in VR.

[@patricksibiya7861]

I have a tradition of watching all the previous races during the week. I fall a sleep watching the 5 minute highlights.

[@itmkoeln]

Funny how in the F1 22 game my first 50% Race that was a complete start to finish wet race on full-wets was the French GP

[@PyreEntei]

The track itself is fine enough, my issue with it is the run-off areas. Like, seriously, hard on the eyes to watch. Ditch the stripes all over the place with entirely solid patches of colour, and it'd be fine.

[@Hippida]

Like some tracks have. This track is dizzying to watch races on

[@GreatOne0815]

This. It is really really distracting and makes it hard to follow the race if everything you see are red and blue stripes and some cars in between... if they had made those stripes gray and black or maybe solid blue and red areas and not those stupid stripes...

[@louisschmitz8346]

In Turn 1 they should remove the left right and use the layout that goes straight for a longer main straight

[@lewisroach8723]

So, the drivers were saying with the new car design it can be difficult to see the edge of the track in places. With this track having so much run off and fewer bumps or walls, will the drivers have even more trouble actually finding the edge of the track?

[@louiscastro2701]

Yeah I fear it will be even worse than Austria with the black and white flags everywhere.

[@stanislavkos3723]

Last year, F1 raced in Quatar. It is a country with human rights problems and no history of motorsport, track is in the middle of a desert and layout is similiar to the infamous Caesar's palace Grand Prix. Meanwhile Paul Ricard: Is in the country that gave us car racing, is a developed western democratic country circuit does have history with F1 and gave us a good race last year. Main problem seems to be the stripes. People want Paul Ricard out and don't realise that the reaplcement for next year is as bad, or even worse.

[@SEVENTIME2016]

It’s a huge headache watching the race

[@maxverstappenfan4091]

i lile your pfp

[@SEVENTIME2016]

@@maxverstappenfan4091 I like yours too

[@TheRealNaika]

this is one of the favorite tracks to play on f1 games, love fast corners, technical slow corners and long straights. just amazing

[@forbiddenhades450]

When you have a non competitive sport like its been mostly between 2014-2020 then yes racing usually isn't THE best, not the best track in the world but last year proved us wrong

[@tblicher]

I like the track layout very much both for watching and in sim racing. There are so many cool racing lines on it, which gives many opportunities for attacking. It also looks awesome, but being old school I don't like asphalt runoffs, that don't punish the mistakes or rewards the exceptional driver.

[@Christopher_TG]

The track is a very balanced track that doesn't give any advantages to specific design concepts, so the race simply shows who is the best overall car. Since Mercedes has been so dominant for most of the last decade, that means the race is typically a Mercedes curb stomp.

[@F1_HQ]

weren't Red Bull a lot quicker at PR last year?

[@dakshpatel5439]

If the car has good Straight line speed, acceleration and fast corners is going to be the winner

[@Christopher_TG]

@@F1_HQ Yes, because Red Bull had a great car last year.

[@TheLibermania]

Short answer: "Yes" Long Answer: "Yeah"

[@fbwim6634]

I think the Paul Richard circuit should be removed from the calendar but also would be the perfect pre-season test track. That way you wouldn't get a two day extra FP1 in Bahrain. And create an extra venue on your 22/23 race calendar.

[@MissAmynae]

Interesting idea! Then they also wouldn’t be racing a GP on the test track. I dig it.

[@Rawbful]

Plain and simple, nobody wants to look at a series of blue shapes for any longer than a few seconds.

[@Anonylek4824]

Most confusing track, cool layout, pretty and versatile but omg so confusing for a newcomer

[@alarastaff]

Its dizzy to look at the whole weekend, only race i miss the free practices on purpose

[@Dangerooman]

I think they should use a different layout every year for the memes. Would love seeing drivers going through foam boards because they forgot what layout it was XD proably a bad idea.. but a man can dream.

[@TheDaktary24]

I believe that both F1, FIA and the teams can determine a new layout for the track, I mean, it has 165 variations and F1 could use some of them on the upcoming years to keep it different every time they come back to Le Castellet

[@shadowmancy9183]

Layout changes are, to me, always a good thing. I liked the Bahrain oval race, just because it made the driver's adapt to something unique. Having four or five layouts on the track, and not announcing which would be used for the weekend until FP1, would really show who the top driver is.

[@Warspud723]

I personally like the track but then I’ve only experienced it on the games

[@victorleoncio1079]

"I'm going to hit you with some facts too, so I hope you're ready." Then you immediately start with an error: Paul Ricard came back onto the calendar after a TWENTY-EIGHT year absence, not eighteen. The last time F1 raced there before 2018 was in 1990. That's 28 years.

[@bagginzhd1715]

That’s the standard for WTF1 lol

[@jckgoldness]

After driving it on the simulator, I think Paul Ricard is actually a really good track.

[@lundqvist570]

I’m a relatively new F1 fan so I have not seen many races here but on the F1 games it’s one of my favorite tracks to drive on

[@WildCoyote22]

TLDR: Yes

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Looking forward to the race. Hopefully the new generation of cars can provide fun racing.

[@Mister.O]

i just have this feeling that it will be a very interesting race cuz of 2 factors: the new cars allow for more overtaking and closer racing (which we have seen plenty of so far ) and its a track that suits the mercedes car pretty well. This combined with their upgrades they are bringing could allow for another race where merc is in the mix. And as much as some people hate it, you can't deny that the battles are more this way xD

[@luuduonghy659]

The new car become larger So more overtake is being suspect Also DRS train can occured

[@dyslexofficial2798]

The FIA, F1 and Paul Ricard should look at switching up the track year by year there's 100+ layouts why not use them. You could have 10 different layouts over 10 years for some drivers that's their entire career. So they may never see the same track twice

[@SkunksterPlaysPoorly]

It's hideous to look at and, with all of those possible configurations, really hard to tell exactly what is "the track" that is in use.

[@GonzoDonzo]

Its jarring on camera in the panning shots. All those lines sweeping across the screen makes the shots feel busy as hell with too much going on. Maybe its just my astigmatism, who knows

Unfortunately, there is no real Grand Prix circuit with character and tradition in France. That's why France has had a lot of different circuits for French Grand Prix over the time.. whether it's Reims, Rouen, Clermont-Ferrand, Le Mans (GP), Dijon, Le Castellet or Magny Cours. Neither track could really last long. Of all the circuits I would prefer Dijon-Prenois. By the way, Spain has the same problem with the Barcelona circuit. It is also more of a test track in terms of character.

[@I_Evo]

There's always Pau.

[@who_am_you]

Yes

[@endgamerplays]

What I wanna know is why there’s so many track layouts for that one turn or chicane or whatever it is, I don’t even know anymore.

[@Tacoplane91]

Paul Ricard is the multiverse of madness

[@baribg1281]

i really enjoy driving at Paul ricard in the f1 games and it has a chance to be a good race since it has some great overtaking opportunities( 4 the most tho)

[@Mike23443]

After extensive thought and analysis and a grand total of 5 whole minutes spent on formulating this hypothesis, I have come to the conclusion that the primary characteristic for any track that makes it interesting is elevation change. Paul Ricard is unfortunately flat as a board with the exception of one hump at turn 1. I think that's why it's so boring.

[@on_wheels_80]

So then Silverstone would be absolutely terrible because there is no noteworthy elevation change. And the Red Bull Ring would be great for F1 because it's on a hillside.

[@Mike23443]

@@on_wheels_80 Yes, exactly.

[@on_wheels_80]

@@Mike23443 Problem then, because that doesn't reflect reality at all - and I do love rollercoaster circuits. Another examples: Laguna Seca would be really quite poor for F1, because it has exactly two overtaking spots. Monaco has dead boring races, the whole event could really end right after qualifying.

[@Mike23443]

@@on_wheels_80 never said good for f1. I said it makes tracks good and interesting. What races happen on it is irrelevant.

[@on_wheels_80]

@@Mike23443 You're commentating on an F1 video by a channel called WTF1.

[@eefstt]

i don't understand why so many ppl hate it... its such a fun track. especially in the f1 game

[@assh4859]

It's my favorite track to drive on, i'm a well know track extender and corner cutter and this circuit is DESIGNED for ppl like me with creative approach to racing lines!

[@brewedcoffee727]

I personally like it.. i like the colours and danger zones. I lke that if you go off track you dont automatically go out of the race like hitting a wall, stuck in gravel and so on and so forth. You simply lose time and tyres get worn out more in the red areas. So it's good for racing and cost cap.

[@siddhantdive5483]

I was also too harsh on this track but then I played it on f1 2020 on 100 AI it seemed fun and corner entry speed is super fast in sector 1 and 3 so dive bombing was fun given the wide track, although that was in previous gen cars. I think this gen cars can produce more intense racing as the layout will suit these type of cars. Let's hope for the best and wait for Sunday.

[@hw_driver5988]

It's one of my favorite circuits in game because it's free 26 points

[@DRAGON-wo4hd]

I enjoy it in the game alot , i love the track

[@meinardsl]

I think the fact that the entire thing is a giant slob of asphalt probably makes it a bit dull. Sure, it has fancy colors and many different track layouts but that all gets quite confusing very quickly and while the track itself is, in my opinion, about as average as it is possible. It's not something you'll remember or dream racing in.

[@lucaas783]

long story short: its now removed from formula 1 calendar

[@Slash1066]

It's that invisible turn on the back straight that gets me on the sims, you just can't see the corner amid all the confusing lines

[@Barfyman362.]

I honestly think a lot of the hatred comes from the red and blue run off. If it reflected the French Riviera more, I think it would be warmly received, but I’d guess the runoff subconsciously turns people off.

[@cosmikrelic4815]

what do you mean reflect the riviera? like a montage of drunks and people being stabbed on saturday night, with a few super yachts sprinkled about?

[@Barfyman362.]

@@cosmikrelic4815 Yes

[@Fireheart318]

I love that the track has so many different layouts! I'm not a huge fan of the stripes everywhere: They're too jarring and should be limited to turns as opposed to basically the entire track.

[@razghost2]

I feel for the drivers, with the reduced visibility with the new bigger wheels it's a wonder they'll know where the apex is better yet stay in the track limits

[@rb026]

First I have to say that I’m french. I think that Le Castellet is a good track but with a bad exploitation of its potential. But it’s clearly not ghe best racetrack that we have and even if a comeback to most of the previous ones (17 with the gp held before f1 if I remembrer well) is impossible we still have better options like Magny-Cours obviously (even if it’s not the best part of France…) Personally I just want the french gp to remain on the calendar bc of course it’s an historical one (1906) but I’m also so happy to have a national gp so it doesn’t really matter to me if the race is not the best ever as long as we r represented. 😪 Plus I think that most of f1 fans would rather see this track than a Las Vegas or a Saudi Arabia… Sry for the long comment but I had to say this. Ps: ppl may also have been judging it to quickly considering that only 3 races were held since the comeback…

[@rafaellabaez5630]

What do you mean with “not the best part of France”??

[@rb026]

@@rafaellabaez5630 bc it’s empty and there’s nothing around Magny-Cours compared to Le Castellet which is close to the french riviera

[@adrianoaledichiara7092]

I think that we should race at Magny-Cours. It has even grade 1 FIA certification and is an historic track. So the track is basically ready

[@paulthorn6437]

If they just replaced the acres of stripes with grass, I’d probably like it a bit more. Not love it, but better. As it is I just dislike watching it since It feels like staring at an optical illusion

[@rooroo6080]

Honestly the track isn't that bad, but it lacks elevation change.

[@stevenst6337]

Last year France was pretty entertaining. Both top teams having different strategies obviously played a part but it was an exciting finish. And so far this new era of cars has been making overtakes on all the tracks we went too so far with exceptions to Monaco.

[@DaveMcKeegan]

The track itself isn't too bad ... Its the areas just to the sides of the track I can't stand With the endless unused bits of tracks and the psychedelic run off areas, it gets jarring at times trying to work out where the cars are meant to be going

[@MorganeFichter]

I'm very bad at naming corner names but I do know The Mistral straight, I believe it is iconic ( to me at least as a French fan). It's confusing and the colors hurt my eyes but other than that it's an ok track. And as we saw last year, it can produce a really good race.

[@tentons10]

If you drive it it's an amazing track. In a GT car the flowing right-hander after the long straight is an exercise in bravery and track limits.

[@hinchauhan]

My opinion on this track has changed quite somewhat. I agree with what the drivers say in that it's not the best track in France (Magny-cours for the win), however, it's not a bad or boring track to race on. I, like many others, often criticised the track because I never really gave myself the chance to study it properly. However, since playing it on F1 22 on my racing SIM and actually learning the track at a competitive level, made me realise that actually it's quite decent to drive when you hook up a good lap. There's some good opportunities for dive bombing which is what we all want to see at the end of the day. So, to conclude... it is in fact a great track to drive and race on although F1 could do better with bringing back the OG of France...

[@pauliahonen4970]

Love this track on the simulator, it has unique type of corners that no other tracks have. A lot like Hermann Tilke tracks but not designed by Tilke.

[@dylanoburgers7815]

i personely kinda love this track as it was the verry first grandprix i ever saw it got me hoocked on f1

[@Formu1aaaa]

Personally I think its a good race strategy-wise, only because every year someone does the 2 stop and someone does the 1 stop

[@luuduonghy659]

But I actually want a wet race so Albon can do 0 stop strategy

[@billhurt3644]

Missed an opportunity to a put up a shot of the Miami circuit when you made that comment about racing in a car park.

[@kevinbell9255]

There were 28 years between the last French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard (1990) prior to 2018 rather than 18 years as stated in your video.

[@kapitanswamp5961]

Yes.

[@peri5552]

I think people are being harsh, it is definitely not among the best but I can count at least 6-7 worse tracks in Calendar than this one.

[@azgaming9078]

Matt: gimme a sentence Captain Lautner: photos are worth a thousand words......

[@AnimationPaladin]

I actually love the way it looks, even if its not that interesting. I feel like it conveys a great sense of speed even through really smooth camera work that we've seen recently

[@bagginzhd1715]

28 year absence, not 18

[@Duskraven377]

Love the circuit, HATE the stripes. That's my personal take.

[@louiscastro2701]

The stripes, the fake turns, and the flat runoffs. It's a good circuit ruined because it really wasn't designed to be a GP invented.

[@MissAmynae]

I think it’s perfectly adequate, and better than some. A solid midfield track, if you will. It’s given us 2 very good races, especially in the midfield, and seems well-suited to the new cars. I don’t have an issue with the multi-multi-multi-use configurations, since we have a lot of that here in the US. I think any purpose-built tracks should have a variety of configs, since it means multiple classes and series can use it throughout the year. Benefits fans and the local economy both. That said, the paint job is too jarring for TV. It’s not a bad **idea** to do all the stripes in the runoffs, and it’s probably pretty cool in person when you’re not moving about, but it’s not overhead shot or broadcast-friendly at all.