The main contenders ahead of the French Grand Prix

This weekend, Formula 1 returns to the Castellet circuit after last year's cancellation due to health concerns. To mark the 61st French Grand Prix, we take a look at some key figures relating to the race.

The race will take place over 53 laps around the 5.861 km Castellet circuit, famous for its long Mistral straight, split in two by a chicane. Lewis Hamilton still holds the lap record, with a time of 1:28.319 set during qualifying for the 2019 Grand Prix. The circuit has 15 turns and is one of seven French circuits to have hosted Formula 1 since the championship began in 1950. The history of F1 in France began at Reims-Gueux, where Juan Manuel Fangio won the first French Grand Prix. Over the decades, the series has also visited Le Mans Bugatti, Magny-Cours, Rouen-les-Essarts, Dijon-Prenois, Charade (near Clermont-Ferrand), and finally Le Castellet. Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most wins at the French Grand Prix, with a total of eight victories, the last of which was in 2006 at Magny-Cours.

Each day, the event will welcome around 15,000 spectators, divided into three groups of around 5,000 people, making the French Grand Prix the most popular race at the start of the season. Although 62 Grand Prix races have been held on French soil, only 61 have been officially named “French Grand Prix.” The exception is the Swiss Grand Prix on August 29, 1982, which took place at Dijon-Prenois, as circuit racing remained banned in Switzerland after the Le Mans disaster in 1955, a ban that lasted until 2007. That weekend, Keke Rosberg became the first Finnish driver to win a Formula 1 race.