The
French Grand Prix
(
1906-1967: Grand Prix de l'ACF,
1968-2008:
Grand Prix de France) is a race held as part
of Fédération
Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing
championships.
Grand Prix motor racing
originated in France and the French Grand Prix, open to
international competition, is the oldest Grand Prix races, first
run on 26 June 1906 under the auspices of the
Automobile Club de France in
Sarthe, with a starting field of 32
automobiles.
Georges Boillot winning the 1912
French Grand Prix in Dieppe, France
The first
World Championships were organized in 1925 with the French Grand
Prix, the Italian Grand
Prix
, the Belgian Grand Prix
and the Indianapolis 500
. The French Grand Prix has been part of the
Formula One championships since their
inception in 1950.
The race has been held at various racetracks
throughout France, such as the Autodrome de
Montlhéry
. Since 1991 it has had its permanent home at
the Circuit de
Nevers Magny-Cours
. The move to Magny-Cours was an attempt to
stimulate the economy of the area, but many within Formula One
complain about the remote nature of the circuit.
The 2004 and 2005 races were in doubt because of financial problems
and the addition of new circuits to the Formula One calendar. These
races went ahead as planned, but it still has an uncertain
future.
On 29 March 2007 it was announced by the FFSA, the race promoter,
that the 2008 French Grand Prix was put on an indefinite "pause".
This suspension was due to the financial situation of the circuit,
known to be disliked by many in
F1 due to the
circuit's remote location. On 31 May, Bernie Ecclestone confirmed
(at the time) that the
2007
French Grand Prix would be the last to be held at
Magny-Cours.
However, after various negotiations, the future of the race at
Magny-Cours took another turn, with increased speculation that the
2008 French Grand Prix would return, with Ecclestone himself
stating "We're going to maybe resurrect it for a year, or something
like that". On 24 July, Ecclestone and the French Prime Minister
met and agreed to possibly maintain the race at Magny Cours for
2008 and 2009. The change in fortune was completed on 27 July, when
the FIA published the calendar with a 2008 French Grand Prix
scheduled at Magny-Cours once again. The 2009 race, however, was
again cancelled on 15 October 2008, with the official website
citing "economic reasons".
Sponsors
- Rhône-Poulenc Grand Prix de
France 1988-1993
- Mobil 1 Grand Prix de France
1998-2004
- Allianz
Grand Prix
de France 2005-2007
- RBS Grand Prix de France
2008
Winners of the French Grands Prix
Repeat winners
| Number of wins |
Driver |
Years |
| 8 |
Michael Schumacher |
1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006 |
| 6 |
Alain Prost |
1981, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993 |
| 4 |
Louis Chiron |
1931, 1934, 1937, 1947 |
| Juan Manuel Fangio |
1950, 1951, 1954, 1957 |
| Nigel Mansell |
1986, 1987, 1991, 1992 |
| 3 |
Jack Brabham |
1960, 1966, 1967 |
| Jackie Stewart |
1969, 1971, 1972 |
| 2 |
Christian
Lautenschlager |
1908, 1914 |
| Felice Nazzaro |
1907, 1922 |
| Georges Boillot |
1912, 1913 |
| Giuseppe Campari |
1924, 1933 |
| Robert Benoist |
1925, 1927 |
| William
Grover-Williams |
1928, 1929 |
| Jean-Pierre Wimille |
1936, 1948 |
| Dan Gurney |
1962, 1964 |
| Jim Clark |
1963, 1965 |
| Ronnie Peterson |
1973, 1974 |
| Mario Andretti |
1977, 1978 |
| Niki Lauda |
1975, 1984 |
|
Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1951 race, but shared the Alfa Romeo 159-car with Luigi Fagioli.
By year
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the
Formula One World Championship.
A cream background indicates an event which was part of the
pre-war European
Championship.
References
- ITV-F1.com 2008 French Grand Prix "Pause"
- ITV-F1.com Ecclestone Confirms Magny Cours
Departure
- ITV-F1.com Magny-Cours set for reprieve
- BBC SportFormula One hope for French Grand
Prix
- http://www.gpfrancef1.com/
External links
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