Hello dear motorsport friends, a bit early but before I forget again the thread to the current GP, this time with a small change: I found a very nice page, which describes the conditions there very nice, so I present this here once before the actual GP page:Magny-Cours: Technology in focus Magny-Cours is considered a retort racing track, but the Circuit de Nevers poses quite challenging challenges on man and machine With the set up you have to make some compromises in Magny-Courses – The Circuit de Nevers in Magny-Courses consists of a variety of different challenges for cars and drivers: The three high-speed curves at the beginning of the round follow the very slow Adelaide hairpin curve, two challenging, fast bullies and some other special features that can hardly be seen on the TV screen. As always, this is about finding a setup that will optimize the bolids in every section of the track. Aerodynamics: Magny-Courses requires much more downforce than Montréal, where a low to medium downforce level was the right choice. On the other hand, medium to high downforce is required next weekend. This is largely determined by the fast curves such as Turn 3 and the flattened chicanes of the curves six/seven and eleven/twelve. Although the temptation is great, with flatter wings and correspondingly higher final speed on the long N full throttle straight down to the Adelaide hairpin to be able to overtake opponents, this is not a sensible solution for the whole round. The said straight line precedes the ultra-fast curve three – and those who are traveling here with less downforce will not be able to get through the curve fast enough, nor will they be able to follow an opponent close enough. With higher top speed alone, therefore, even here, the teams will not be able to overtake the classic drift dilemma in Magny-Cours. Ma, however, prefer a setup with more downforce in terms of the optimal lap time. Hanging: Magny-Cours is known for its extremely flat road surface. This allows the teams to choose an extremely low ground clearance and very stiff suspension setups. Both support the aerodynamics of the bolids. In addition, the cars can be implemented quickly and precisely with this tuning in the harassment. As usual, however, it is also important to find a compromise here, d The track has some slow curves in which a softer tuning improves the grip. Tires: The asphalt from Magny-Cours reacts very sensitively to temperature changes – even a few minutes of clouding on an otherwise sunny day can strongly influence the grip level. Bridgestone provides the team with the soft and medium tires the two medium options of the four-stage tire range. For both variants, the careful handling of the “black” power transmission: In principle, the cars are translated into Magny-Courses rather short and with narrow gear gradations in order to achieve optimal acceleration from the slow corners. The teams pay particular attention to the speed range from 0 to 250 km/h, because good performance in the slower sectors is decisive for the later top speed on the straight. The power transmission by driving over the kerbs, which the drivers do regularly several times and especially towards the end of the lap. On the time hunt in qualifying it is essential to run over the kerbs very hard, but in the race the drivers are encouraged to exercise a little more caution in order to spare engine and power transmission. Engine: Magny-Cours does not place unusually high demands on the engines. The V8 engines run about 63 percent of the lap with fully opened dros. This is slightly higher than the average of the season, but is considered to be a normal value. A high-torque engine is an important advantage on this course, as the acceleration capacity from the slow curves plays a big role. Also essential is a smooth and linear force development as possible, so that the balance of the chassis is not disturbed when the pilots drive with half to full throttle into the bullies or through turn three. So, and now the `official’ part: Great Price by France / Magny-Courses Facts Name Circuit de Nevers Length 4,411 meters Rounds 70 Distance 308,586 km Local time CEST Start 14:00 CEST Data Portrait Already in 1906 the Grand Prix of France celebrated its debut.The race on the circuit de Sarthe, which is over 100 kilometres long, was also the first Grand Prix in the history of automobile sports – the birthplace of automobile racing is therefore France and not England, as has always been said. The Grand Prix of France takes place in Magny-Cours. Built 260 kilometers south of Paris, the course is located in the middle of nowhere. In 1991, the Grand Prix of France was moved from Le Castellet on the Côte d’Azur to Magny-Cours to help this region economically. The 4,411 kilometer track is unique in Formula 1, even if it is often incorrectly referred to as a retort course. Cars with very low ground clearance drive and thus achieve very high curve speeds thanks to the increased press pressure. However, the asphalt is very little grippy, which requires good traction control and allows the rear wheels to wear quickly. The teams use rather softer tyre mixtures in search of grip. The constantly changing track conditions are indiscriminate. The sun heats up the asphalt very quickly, because it is very dark, and also a wind change of direction can cause the setup of the cars to have to be changed from minute to minute. The French land rain is also feared, as this runs badly due to the extremely flat track and makes the little rough asphalt quickly slip. Asphalt quality even grip-level medium tyre mixture soft tire wear low to medium brake wear medium full gas share 64 percent top speed race 301 km/h long full gas part 930 meters (12 seconds) petrol verb Smoke medium Direction clockwise Number left turns 8 Number right turns 9 Course debut 1991 First winner 1991: Nigel Mansell, Williams First pole 1991: Riccardo Patrese, Williams Number Grands Prix 17 Top 8 Qualifying 2007 1. Felipe Massa, Ferrari 2. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren 3. Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari 4. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber 5. Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault 6. Heikki Kovalainen, Renault 7. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber 8. Jarno Trulli, Toyota Top 8 Race 2007 1. Kimi Räikkönen, F Errari 2. Felipe Massa, Ferrari 3. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren 4. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber 5. Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber 6. Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault 7. Fernando Alonso, McLaren 8. Jenson Button, Honda Records Races Absolute: 1:15.045 (David Coulthard, McLaren, 2002) 2007: 1:16.099 (Felipe Massa, Ferrari) 2006: 1:17.111 (Michael Schumacher, Ferrari) 2005: 1:16.423 (Kimi Räikkönen, McLaren) 2004: 1:15.377 (Michael Schumacher, Ferrari) 2003: 1:15.512 (Juan-Pablo Montoya, Williams) Records Qualifyi ng Absolut: 1:11.985 (Juan-Pablo Montoya, Williams, 2002) 2007: 1:15.034 (Felipe Massa, Ferrari) 2006: 1:15.493 (Michael Schumacher, Ferrari) 2005: 1:14.412 (Fernando Alonso, Renault) 2004: 1:13.698 (Fernando Alonso, Renault) 2003: 1:15.019 (Ralf Schumacher, Williams) Last winner 2007: Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari 2006: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 2005: Fernando Alonso, Renault 2004: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 2003: Ralf Schumacher, Williams Most wins driver Michael Schumacher (8) Nigel Mansell (2) Kimi Räikkönen (1) Alain Prost (1) David Coulthard (1) Ralf Schumacher (1) Damon Hill (1) Fernando Alonso (1) Most wins Teams Ferrari (7) Williams (5) Benetton (2) Renault (1) Jordan (1) Most points Driver Michael Schumacher (98) Kimi Räikkönen (35) Ralf Schumacher (31) David Coulthard (30) Damon Hill (28) Fernando Alonso (28) Mika Häkkinen (21) Rubens Barrichello (21) Most points Teams Ferrari (140) Williams (123) McLaren (87) Renault (41) Benetton (39) Jordan (16) Toyota (12) BAR ( 12) Most Poles driver Michael Schumacher (4) Damon Hill (3) Fernando Alonso (2) Ralf Schumacher (2) Nigel Mansell (1) Rubens Barrichello (1) Felipe Massa (1) Juan-Pablo Montoya (1) Most Poles teams Williams (8) Ferrari (5) Renault (2) McLaren (1) Stewart (1) Address PHG 33, Rue Galilee 75116 Paris FRANCE Phone and fax Tel: 0033 1 44 43 52 00 Fax: 0033 1 47 20 92 29 Travel information Tourist Office Nevers Tel: +33 (0) 386 – 68 46 00 Fax: +33 (0) 386 – 68 45 98 Airport Par is CDG: Tel +33 (0) 1 – 486 21212 Wishing you all an exciting race-WE I will remain mfg invisible_ghost