This week’s stats post is a little different as we’re heading to a track which Formula One hasn’t visited since 1990. Here are all the stats and facts you need ahead of the 2018 French Grand Prix!
?? PAUL RICARD RACE WINNERS
There have been fourteen Formula One races held at the Circuit Paul Ricard, between 1971 and 1990. From those fourteen races, ten different drivers have won the race.
Alain Prost is the driver with the most wins here, with four victories.
Seven different teams have won here. Williams and McLaren are tied for the most victories, with three each.
Only one driver has won this race back-to-back – Alain Prost took three victories in three consecutive years between 1988 and the last race here in 1990. He’s unlikely to make it four victories in a row here on Sunday, though.
The longest streak of different winners at this track came between 1971 and 1986, where there were no repeat winners in all ten events held.
The smallest win margin at the Circuit Paul Ricard was at the third race held here, in 1975, which Niki Lauda won by just 1.59 seconds. The largest win margin was in 1989, when Alain Prost won by 44.017 seconds.
The average win margin at this track is 18.126 seconds.
?? ON THE PODIUM AT PAUL RICARD
From fourteen events, 24 different drivers have stood on the podium at the Circuit Paul Ricard.
Alain Prost is the driver with the most podiums here, with eight. His record will stand until at least 2025.
?? PAUL RICARD POLESITTERS
There have been ten different polesitters at the Circuit Paul Ricard.
Alain Prost has the most poles at this track, with three. Meanwhile, McLaren are the team with the most poles here, also with three. Prost scored two of McLaren’s poles, while James Hunt scored the other in his championship winning season.
Two drivers have scored back-to-back poles at this track – Jackie Stewart in 1971 and 1973 and Alain Prost in 1989 and 1990.
The longest streak of different polesitters at this track came between 1973 and 1987, where there were no repeat polesitters for ten events.
The smallest pole margin at the track came in 1989, when Alain Prost took pole by just 0.025 seconds. The Frenchman also has the largest pole margin here. He set the fastest qualifying lap time by a whopping 2.308 seconds in 1983.
The average pole margin at this track is 0.514 seconds.
?? SATURDAY TO SUNDAY
Eight of the fourteen races here have been won from pole. That’s a pole conversion rate of 57%. Ten of the races have been won from the front row.
The furthest back a race at the Circuit Paul Ricard has been won from is fifth, on two occasions. Ronnie Peterson won from fifth in 1973, while Nelson Piquet won from the same position in 1984.
?? SUNDAY STATS
There has never been a Safety Car period during a race at the Circuit Paul Ricard. The Safety Car wasn’t fully introduced into F1 until three years after the sport’s last visit here.
There has never been a rain-affected race at this track.
The longest race at this track was the first, in 1971, which Jackie Stewart won in a time of 1:46:42.3. The shortest race was in 1985, when the winner’s time was 1:31:46.266
The most number of finishers in a race held at the Circuit Paul Ricard is eighteen, which happened in three consecutive events between 1975 and 1978. The least number of finishers was in 1987, when just ten cars reached the chequered flag.
The average number of finishers at this track is fourteen.
There has only been one red-flagged race at this track, in 1989.
?? CHAMPIONSHIP GLORY
No champions have been crowned at this track. The winner of this race has gone on to win that year’s championship from six of the fourteen events.