2022 F1 French Grand Prix Preview: Teams to Face Extreme Heat
The 12th round of the 2022 F1 World Championship will be held this weekend at the Circuit Paul Ricard near Marseille, France.
The French Grand Prix is one of the oldest car races in the world. Its history dates back to the dawn of motorsports, and the first grand prix, which means "grand prize" in French, was the 1906 French Grand Prix. The original prize money was 45,000 francs, which was equivalent to 28.6 pounds of gold bullion at the time.
The French Grand Prix returns to the 2018 F1 calendar after a 10-year absence, using a 3.6-mile version of the Paul Ricard circuit. This version has 15 corners, with the first sector being the fastest and offering the best overtaking opportunities, especially on the braking to turns 1 and 3.
The second sector is dominated by power units, and the Mistral straight is split by a chicane that reduces the speed entering Signes, one of the fastest corners on the calendar.
Aerodynamics become more important in the mid-speed corner between turns 11 and 15, where two DRS zones, one on the main straight and the other on the first part of the Mistral straight, are used.
Running off the track must be avoided at all costs. The red, white, and blue markings are made of a high-friction material that slows the cars down quickly and puts the tires at high risk of punctures. Pirelli designates the white hard as C2, the yellow medium as C3, and the red soft as C4.
The race weekend is expected to be the hottest so far this season, with temperatures expected to rise to 104 degrees. Teams will also need to pay close attention to the possibility of thermal degradation of the tires.
Heading into Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's race, Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen leads the 2022 drivers' championship with 208 points. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari is second with 170 points and Red Bull's Sergio Perez is third with 151 points. In the constructors' championship, Red Bull leads with 359 points to Ferrari's 303 and Mercedes-Benz AMG's 237. Last year's French GP winner was Red Bull's Verstappen.
