Magny-Cours
Technical central-France circuit best known for the high-speed Estoril–Adelaide complex and a string of strategic, pit-stop-defined races.
Circuit at a glance
- Years active
- 1991–2008
- F1 races
- 18
- Length
- 4.411 km
- Turns
- 17
History and character
When the French Grand Prix needed a new home in 1991, the government chose Magny-Cours as the centrepiece of a regional development push. The circuit was billed as one of the smoothest in the world and produced races often decided more by tyre and fuel strategy than on-track action.
Why it left the calendar
Magny-Cours' remote location and lukewarm crowds, combined with rising hosting fees, pushed the French Grand Prix off the calendar after 2008. It still hosts national racing and has hosted occasional European championship rounds.
Iconic moment
Michael Schumacher's 2004 four-stop strategy — Ferrari and Ross Brawn beating Fernando Alonso's Renault on pure pit-wall genius.
Notable Grand Prix winners
- Nigel Mansell
- Michael Schumacher
- David Coulthard
- Fernando Alonso
- Kimi Räikkönen