Formula One: Honda F1 preview France
24 June 2000
FIA Formula 1 World Championship - Round 9 French Grand Prix, Magny-Cours - 30 June/1-2 July 2000 - Preview HONDA SET FOR FRENCH GRAND PRIX AT MAGNY-COURS As the Formula One season passes half-distance, the teams return to Europe for the French Grand Prix at Nevers Magny-Cours next weekend. Lucky Strike Reynard BAR Honda will be looking to build on the team's excellent showing in last week's Canadian Grand Prix, when Jacques Villeneuve held second place for the early part of his home event. The nature of the Montreal circuit was well suited to the strengths of the BAR Honda 002, requiring little downforce and placing strong emphasis on engine performance, straight-line speed and braking. Both Villeneuve and team mate Ricardo Zonta made the most of the opportunity, recording the best combined qualifying performance of the season so far and both running in the top six until the rain intervened. The Magny-Cours race will be the first event for the second wave of Honda personnel. As announced at the start of the year, Honda is using its Formula One participation as a training ground for its most promising and innovative young engineers, breeding the legendary challenging spirit throughout the company. All those involved with the project for the first six months (except the senior managers and race engineers) have now returned to Japan and their replacements are relishing their unique opportunity that starts in France. In advance of the third consecutive francophone event, BAR Honda has this week spent three days testing at the 4.25km circuit. Ricardo Zonta and Patrick Lemarie undertook the bulk of the work as the team experimented with revised aerodynamic components and other new elements. Jacques Villeneuve ran only on the final day. Nevers Magny-Cours The Nevers Magny-Cours circuit, situated in north-east France, took over from Paul Ricard in 1991 as the venue for the French Grand Prix. A huge redevelopment programme had turned the one-time club racing circuit into a state-of-the-art international sporting facility. The weather is invariably hot and humid around its traditional date at the beginning of July, although torrential rain turned last year's event into a lottery, in which Jordan Mugen-Honda's Heinz-Harald Frentzen held the winning ticket. Honda in France In its long Formula One career, Honda has competed in a total of 11 French Grands Prix at no fewer than five different circuits. After Clermont Ferrand in 1965, John Surtees recorded Honda's first French podium, finishing second at Rouen in 1968. Keke Rosberg scored a point at Dijon in 1984 with Williams, but a year later claimed the first pole position for Honda's V6 turbo at Paul Ricard. Despite setting the fastest lap of the race, the Finn could finish only second, while team mate Nigel Mansell did not start after an injury sustained in qualifying. Honda's first French win came at Ricard in 1986 courtesy of Nigel Mansell, who repeated the feat the following year in his Williams-Honda. A Honda hatrick was completed by Alain Prost's McLaren in 1988 and the Frenchman won his home event again the following year, again with Honda power. When the race moved to Magny-Cours in 1991, Ayrton Senna delivered his third 'Powered by Honda' podium finish, but neither McLaren-Honda completed the race in 1992. FIA Formula 1 World Championship - Round 9 French Grand Prix, Magny-Cours - 30 June/1-2 July 2000 - Information Circuit Details Circuit Name Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours Circuit Address Technopole, 58470 Magny Cours, France Circuit Length 4.250km/2.641miles Lap Record N Mansell 1:13.864 (Williams-Renault 1992) Timetable (all times are local, CET is the same, UK time is one hour behind) Friday Free Practice: 11.00-12.00 & 13.00-14.00 Saturday Free Practice: 09.00-09.45 & 10.15-11.00 Qualifying: 13.00-14.00 Sunday Warm-up: 09.30-10.00 Race (72 laps): 14.00 1999 Results Winner H-H Frentzen (Jordan Mugen-Honda) 1hr 58min 24.343sec Average Speed 154.965km/h Fastest Lap D Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) 1.19.227 Pole Position R Barrichello (Stewart/Ford) 1.38.441 BAR 1999 Jacques Villeneuve Qualified: 12th Race: DNF Ricardo Zonta Qualified: 10th Race: 9th Previous French GP winners Mansell (91/92), Prost (93), M. Schumacher (94/95/97/98), Hill (96) Honda in France Grands Prix: 11 Podiums: 11 Wins: 4 (Prost 88/89, Mansell 86/87) Honda F1 winners Senna 32, Mansell 13, Prost 11, Piquet 7, Berger & Rosberg 3, Ginther & Surtees 1 Team wins powered by Honda McLaren-Honda 44 - Williams-Honda 23 - Honda 2 - Lotus-Honda 2 2000 BAR Honda Results Jacques Villeneuve Aus Q8, R4 - Brz Q10, DNF - SM Q9, R5 - GB Q10, DNF - SP Q6, DNF - EUR Q9, DNF - MON Q17, R7 CAN Q6, DNF Ricardo Zonta Aus Q16, R6 - Brz Q8, R9 - SM Q14, R12 - GB Q16, DNF - SP Q16, R8 - EUR Q18, DNF - MON Q20, DNF CAN Q8, R8 2000 Jordan Mugen-Honda Heinz-Harald Frentzen Aus Q5, DNF - Brz Q7, R3 - SM Q6, DNF - GB Q2, DNF - SP Q8, R6 - EUR Q10, DNF - MON Q4, DNF CAN Q5, DNF Jarno Trulli Aus Q6, DNF - Brz Q12, R4 - SM Q8, DNF - GB Q11, R6 - SP Q7, R12 - EUR Q6, DNF - MON Q2, DNF CAN Q7, R6 2000 Points Jacques Villeneuve - 5 Ricardo Zonta - 1 Heinz-Harald Frentzen - 5 Jarno Trulli - 5