Honda returns to Europe with confidence
The French Grand Prix, Round eleven of the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship, gets underway at the Circuit de Nevers in Magny-Cours next weekend. The first of an intensive three races in four weeks sees the F1 teams return to Europe following the two races in North America.
Before heading to France, the Honda Racing F1 Team will be at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend for one of the most popular events on the UK motor sport calendar. Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson will be in attendance over the weekend, driving the RA106 race car, and along with Sporting Director Gil de Ferran, will also have the chance to try out the historic RA301, originally raced by John Surtees in 1968.
Rubens Barrichello “The circuit at Magny-Cours is a very good track for the drivers as it’s a lot of fun to drive and also very fast. The high speed changes of direction between turns four and five, and also turns seven and eight, are quite challenging. The race is usually an exciting one and if the weather follows the usual pattern, it will probably be a very hot race. We had an intensive test at Jerez this week in very hot conditions looking at the tyres and aero for this week so we should be well prepared. We collected a lot of data in Jerez and now we have to work hard and see how we can make that work for us at Magny-Cours.”
Jenson Button “I really enjoy racing at Magny-Cours. It’s a smooth circuit and very flowing, which is the type of track I prefer as it is more suited to my driving style. I’ve had decent finishes there in the last two years so hopefully we can repeat that form next weekend with a strong points finish. It was disappointing to retire from the race at Indianapolis so early last weekend but looking on the positive side, the car worked much better all weekend than in Montreal.”
Gil de Ferran, Sporting Director “We return to Europe encouraged by our performance in the United States Grand Prix and optimistic that we can carry that through into the French Grand Prix next weekend. Magny-Cours represents quite a different challenge to the last two circuits since it is very smooth and contains a mixture of high and slow speed turns, however it is similarly hard on rear tyres. Weather-wise, in the past we have seen very hot conditions and we expect to encounter more of the same next weekend, which our car and set-up seem to cope quite well with. We are hopeful that the developments tested in Jerez this week will bring us some improvement and we can again be in a position to score some good points, this time with both drivers.”
Circuit de Nevers, Magny Cours
Race Distance: 70 laps
Circuit Length: 2.741 miles (4.411 kms)
The Circuit de Nevers is located in Burgundy, the geographic heartland of France, and has been home to the French Grand Prix since 1991. The twelve-turn circuit is blessed with a smooth surface and boasts generous run-off areas, although its twisty layout means that overtaking possibilities in dry conditions are usually limited to the slow Adelaide hairpin. The race organisers tried to answer that criticism in 2004 by replacing the final chicane and increasing the run off area at the final Lycee turn, but the alterations have met with limited success.
Lap times vary noticeably at Magny-Cours depending on the ambient temperature. In common with other tight circuits, Formula One cars are set up to race with high levels of downforce, without completely compromising straight-line speed.
