In numbers: 10 statistics ahead of Le Castellet

There aren’t many better places to be in the European summer than the south of France and that’s exactly where we are for Round 12.

The second half of the Formula One season starts with a quickfire double header taking us to Le Castellet and Budapest before we enter the summer break.

Join us as we dive through 10 statistics ahead of hitting the track at Circuit Paul Ricard.

Circuit Paul Ricard is sometimes referred to as Le Castellet, the name of a neighbouring commune which has a population of 3,873. It is located in the Var, one of 96 “departments” within metropolitan France.

Williams are tied with McLaren for the most wins in Paul Ricard history, taking victory in 1980 (Alan Jones), 1986 and 1987 (Nigel Mansell).

The mile-long Mistral Straight at Circuit Paul Ricard was last used without a chicane at the 1985 French Grand Prix, 37 years ago.

Nicholas Latifi received a 2.38s pitstop from his Williams pitcrew during the Austrian GP, matching Alex Albon’s time in Canada for our fastest stops of the 2022 season so far.

Alex Albon has finished 12th or better in five of the last nine Grands Prix and is seeking a third points finish in that time, despite being the only driver on the grid who is yet to appear in Q3 this season.

This weekend is Alex Albon’s 50th Grand Prix start, and coincidentally comes just one race after Nicholas Latifi also reached his half-century. With 200 career points, Albon currently averages over four points per start.

The Williams drivers were practically inseparable in qualifying at the 2021 French GP, with George Russell beating Nicholas Latifi by just 0.002s. Unfortunately, it also meant that George progressed to Q2 at Nicky’s expense!

No fewer than seven different circuits have played host to the French Grand Prix in the championship era.

This weekend’s race is the 18th to be held at Paul Ricard, moving it level with Magny-Cours as the most frequently-visited French GP venue.

Nearly 3,400 km of racing lies ahead as F1 enters the second half of the 2022 season, equal to driving from our base in Grove to Circuit Paul Ricard and back, then turning around again and driving to Spa-Francorchamps!