Yesterday morning, at the Castellet circuit, a visit to the new Formula 1 track took place in the presence of Christian Estrosi, the Delegate President of the Region, Renaud Muselier, the President of the PACA Region, and the Mayor of Cagnes sur Mer, Louis Nègre.
A visit that began with the circuit at 9:30 AM, followed by an impromptu press conference at around 11:10 AM.
28 years ago, the Paul Ricard circuit at Castellet closed its doors for the last time to F1 drivers. 28 years later, a new path, a new era, F1 is back at Castellet.
So before the first, a little preview was necessary.
A visit in the presence of the circuit’s director (Stéphane Clair) and former F1 drivers (Yannick Dalmas) accompanied by the Gendarmerie.
A project that is not new.
From the beginning of February, said Christian Estrosi, “we knew that we would be ready to enter the final countdown.”
After an inspection by the International Automobile Federation, the director of the Castellet circuit (Stéphane Clair) showed Christian Estrosi and his cabinet director the areas of the circuit to be modified.
There are 3. Three turns to make the circuit more attractive, particularly in terms of overtaking, but also in terms of sportiness. A higher configuration compared to the previous circuit configuration, according to the mayor of Nice.
Historical
The Paul Ricard circuit was one of the most modern in Europe at the time of Paul Ricard, according to Christian Estrosi. For the Delegate President of the Region, Paul Ricard had this visionary idea of building the circuit on the “swan-neck” plateau. Subsequently, the shareholders had significantly renovated it, with more than 30 million euros invested up to 2016. But there remained a small additional contribution to be made, along with a general reflection study of the track according to the mayor of Nice.
The Changes:
A completely resurfaced track with a planing of 5 cm and laying of a new 90 m² surface already treated. Christian Estrosi declares: “It is a high-speed circuit.” He adds, “on this circuit, the ends of the straight lines will be reached at over 300 km/hour, so the stopwatch will be extremely high.”
Therefore, according to the Delegate President of the Region, at the end of each straight line, safer overtaking zones must be offered, while being able to play on 3 things:
– The DRS (doubling in heavy braking), as it does not work in medium braking.
– The possibility of favoring odd combinations with 3 corners that allow passing without being overtaken again
– Water-drop and funnel turns that facilitate these in the opposite case.
All of these modifications were then submitted to all F1 drivers.
Works still in progress
Works continue to improve the facilities, particularly the stands but also the parking lots.
The stands will be multiplied by 10 to reach the figure of 51,236 places in the general area. 21 out of 22 will be immovable. Only one will be dismantled at the end of the Grand Prix. To accommodate all these people, 25,000 parking spaces will be available, less than 20 km from the circuit.
Christian Estrosi wants to go even further. For him, the opportunity of the return of the Formula 1 Grand Prix must also be the opportunity to have a much more sustained calendar of high-level car and motorcycle events once the reception conditions are perpetuated.
A new press area will also be created, with a capacity of 500 journalists, along with the construction of a new 16,000 m² Paddock to host races in support of the Grand Prix.
For Pedestrians
New bridges to facilitate movement within the circuit area, with 3 new gates to the West. The aim is to directly link the “sign” zone parking lots with the circuit to avoid the shuttle transfers seen in the past.
A scoreboard will also be created to display the standings at the end of each day.
