Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours

What is a lap of Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours like?

Magny-Cours is a smooth, technical circuit whose corners are named after other Grand Prix venues: the long Estoril right-hander, the Adelaide hairpin (first gear, around 58 km/h, the main overtaking spot), the fast Nürburgring chicane and the Imola chicane. The lap runs from the flat-out Grande Courbe through the Estoril curve onto the circuit's longest straight (about 900 m) into Adelaide, then through the 180° hairpin and Château d'Eau to the Lycée complex. For 2003 the final section was rebuilt to improve safety and overtaking: a new Lycée complex (a sharp right-hand hairpin followed by a final chicane) was added and Château d'Eau was re-profiled, giving the 4.411 km, 17-turn layout. The circuit hosted the French Grand Prix from 1991 to 2008; the 2008 race was the last Formula 1 event there, before DRS existed.

Lap length

4.411 km

Turns

17

Direction

clockwise

Downforce

High

Longest straight

900 m

Character

Balanced (about 36% of the lap is cornering)

Layout described

Grand Prix circuit with the 2003 revisions (new Lycée complex, re-profiled Château d'Eau), 4.411 km, 17 turns, used for the French Grand Prix 2003-2008

Map, character and grey values are approximate (measured from a GPS trace). Report a correction.

Does pole position win at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours?

The pole sitter has won 5 of 18 races here (28%). Across all circuits since 1950 the pole sitter wins 44% of races. The winner started from the front row (P1 or P2) in 14 of 18 races (78%) and from the top three in 16 (89%). Lowest grid position to win: 5th, Heinz-Harald Frentzen in 1999.

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.

How are races at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours won?

1994 to 2009 (refuelling)

14 races; winners made 1 stop in 1, 2 stops in 7, 3 or more in 6; first stop at a median lap 22 (31% of the race)

Lap times over the years

All races at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours