GridpediaCharade Circuit
- Location
- Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Races held
- 4 (1965 to 1972)
- Most wins, drivers
- Jackie Stewart (2), Jochen Rindt (1), Jim Clark (1)
- Most wins, teams
- Tyrrell (1), Team Lotus (1), Lotus-Climax (1), Matra-Ford (1)
- Most poles
- Jacky Ickx (1), Chris Amon (1), Jackie Stewart (1), Jim Clark (1)
- Map
- OpenStreetMap
What is a lap of Charade Circuit like?
Charade was a mountain road course of public roads around the extinct volcanoes Puy de Gravenoire and Puy de Charade west of Clermont-Ferrand, with constant climbs and descents, almost no straights and around 50 corners; it was described as a twistier, faster Nürburgring, and Denny Hulme said drivers wore open-face helmets so they could be sick more easily. It hosted the French Grand Prix in 1965, 1969, 1970 and 1972; for 1969 a new pit lane separated from the track by Armco barrier was built, while the lap stayed 8.055 km. Volcanic stones at the edge of the road caused punctures, and in 1972 a stone thrown up by another car pierced Helmut Marko's visor and cost him the sight of his left eye; falling rocks and no room for run-off ended its time on the F1 calendar. The long course closed to racing in 1988; since 1989 a shorter circuit of about 4 km uses the lower part of the old track plus a new link road, and the rest of the old course, including the Gravenoire section, is public road.
- Lap length
- 8.055 km
- Direction
- clockwise
- Layout described
- Original mountain road course (racingcircuits.info 'Grand Prix Circuit 1969-88'), 8.055 km, used for the Formula 1 races of 1969, 1970 and 1972; the 1965 race used the 1958-68 version of the same 8.055 km course
| Order | Name | Side | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Courbe de Manson | Right | |
| 2 | Le Golf | ||
| 3 | Le Belvédère | Right | |
| 4 | Les Jumeaux | ||
| 5 | Gravenoire | ||
| 6 | La Carrière | ||
| 7 | Carrefour de Champeaux | ||
| 8 | Virage de la Ferme | ||
| 9 | Virage du Petit Pont | Left | |
| 10 | Épingle Marlboro | Right | hairpin |
| 11 | Le Tertre de Thèdes | ||
| 12 | Virage Rosier | Right |
Sources for the checked facts (10)
- formula1.com/en/latest/article/a-history-of-the-french-gp-in-7-circuits.4jWYb4usZay2AK6geW
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_de_Charade
- racingcircuits.info/europe/france/charade.html
- liquipedia.net/formula1/Circuit_de_Charade
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1965_French_Grand_Prix
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_French_Grand_Prix
- topgear.com/car-news/speed-week/speed-week-circuit-de-charade-guide
- detour-roadtrips.com/home/detour-211-chasing-ghosts-on-the-circuit-de-charade-france
- trophee-endurance.fr/le-circuit-de-charade-un-lieu-unique-en-france/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_reduction_system
Does pole position win at Charade Circuit?
The pole sitter has won 2 of 4 races here (50%). Across all circuits since 1950 the pole sitter wins 44% of races. The winner started from the front row (P1 or P2) in 2 of 4 races (50%) and from the top three in 3 (75%). Lowest grid position to win: 6th, Jochen Rindt in 1970.
| Winner started from | Wins | Share |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 2 | 50% |
| P3 | 1 | 25% |
| P6 | 1 | 25% |
Where the winner started, every race at this circuit. Pole sitter means the driver who set the fastest qualifying time (first on the grid where no qualifying data exists); a grid penalty can move the pole sitter back, and that race still counts for them. Compare every circuit.