Preview - French Grand Prix 2006.

By Ollie Barstow

With the Formula One season now entering the second half of the season, the circus moves back to Europe following a significant North American jaunt that has thrown Michael Schumacher a lifeline in his quest to hunt down Fernando Alonso.

Indeed, while Alonso was on his usual imperious form in Canada, he was an unusually lacklustre fifth place at Indianapolis, while Schumacher duly seized his opportunity for a third win of the year on a weekend where Ferrari harked back to their dominant days with a resounding 1-2 finish.

As a result, the gap between the two is down to 19 points as the season reaches the eleventh round at Magny-Cours in the Nevers region of France. A popular testing destination, Magny-Cours is not renowned for producing classic encounters, but with Schumacher back on Alonso's scent, the annual trip to usually French countryside could well throw up a thrilling battle at a pivotal time in the year.

FIA F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS:

Arguably the biggest, and definitely the most surprising, story of the season broke between the United States and the French Grand Prix, with the announcement that Juan Pablo Montoya would be snubbing Formula One in favour of trying his hand at the NASCAR Series - with immediate effect.

The first modern driver to make the leap from F1 to NASCAR, many have switched from open-wheel single seaters to oval racing, stock cars but few have actually made had success and this is the challenge facing Montoya, who has never properly driven the Chip Ganassi Dodge he will be racing in 2007.

However, the shock announcement reportedly angered McLaren top brass, meaning that Montoya has now raced his last race for McLaren, following 'mutual' agreement for the Colombian to stand down, allowing test driver Pedro de la Rosa to get his big chance in the second race seat for the remainder of the year.

His departure though does leave a lucrative seat available at McLaren for 2007 too, although its availability really depends on Kimi Raikkonen's whereabouts. If he does make the rumoured move to either Ferrari or Renault, either Lewis Hamilton or Gary Paffett are tipped to take his place alongside Fernando Alonso, if not later in the year. It is a no doubt going to be a focal point for the driver market over the next few months.

Plans for the 2007 season look to be underway, with the FIA intending to drop third cars on the Friday in favour of a more 'fan friendly' day, aimed at luring spectators to the circuits on a day when they usually stay away as teams get down to work on set-up.

Not so far away though are changes to the qualifying system, with Magny-Cours possibly seeing slight alterations to the format. Although knockout qualifying
has been largely hailed a success, the final 20-minute fuel burning session has come into criticism, to the point that five minutes have been knocked off the time before a possible further change next year.

Finally, Bridgestone have been confirmed as the sole tyre supplier until at 2010 when Michelin leaves the sport at the end of the year.

NEWS FROM THE TEAMS:

Renault - Fernando Alonso (#1), Giancarlo Fisichella (#2):

Having proved so consistent since the beginning of 2005, it was a surprise to find Renault on the back foot during the United States Grand Prix weekend, with Alonso's fifth place proving his worst result since last year's Hungarian Grand Prix.

Nonetheless, Alonso, who had not finished outside the top two this season before Indianapolis, is confident that he will be the man to beat once again at Magny-Cours, a circuit he won on in 2005 from lights-to-flag.

"I won four races in a row before Indy, but I always said that the championship was not over, and it sounded really pessimistic," Alonso said. "But a gap of 25 points before Indy didn't mean that we would be champions automatically, and now that the gap is 19 points, we cannot be pessimistic and think the advantage will disappear quickly."

"You have to look at the big picture for the championship. I was first or second at nine of the ten races - and in the next eight races, I think we will be able to keep on winning and increase the lead even more.

Having come into criticism over the year for not being able to challenge Alonso on a consistent basis, Giancarlo Fisichella proved that he is worthy of his Renault seat next year after a strong drive to third, a result that even included an overtaking move on his team-mate.

It was the first time Fisichella has outpaced Alonso this season and only the second time this year he has beaten him on the road too, leaving the Italian confident for the French Grand Prix.

"It's a special special! I am very happy to be working with Renault - and to know that I am staying with the team for the future. Fernando and I both go to Magny-Cours with the possibility of winning, and it will be an important race for Renault on a lot of levels.

"We have a lot of fans there, all the race team members from Viry-Ch??tillon are very motivated, and the stands are full of people from Viry and other Renault factories. They will all be pushing with us on Sunday, and we will be doing our maximum to win the race."

McLaren - Kimi Raikkonen (#3), Pedro de la Rosa(#4):

The big changes for the French Grand Prix come at McLaren after the surprise announcement that Juan Pablo Montoya has raced his last F1 race in Formula One, the Colombian standing down immediately following his NASCAR announcement

As a result, Kimi Raikkonen will be joined by Pedro de la Rosa, the Spaniard finally getting his chance to star alongside the Finn after making an entertaining one-off race debut with the squad at the 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix, scoring a fifth place and the fastest lap in the process.

The second Spaniard on the grid, de la Rosa has tested at the Magny-Cours circuit many times before, leaving him confident that he can put on a good show as he too bids for the vacant race seat in 2007.

"I'm of course extremely thrilled to have this opportunity to race the MP4-21 - a car in which I'm really comfortable. People don't always link it to Magny
Cours, but you can overtake here, you just need to make sure your set-up allows you to do so. The only real place to do it is by getting good speed along Golf, the stretch between Estoril and Adelaide.

"You need to take Estoril really well behind the car ahead, and this needs to be considered when you are working on set-up. If you get the right set-up you can then push the limits through the sweeping Estoril and have the speed you need in order to pass."

With a new team-mate in tow, Raikkonen's role as the number one driver has become even more defined and the Finn is determined to remain that way for the rest of the year. Still, he is confident on a circuit he has done well on in the past, including almost taking his first win in 2002.

"The team has been testing really hard last week, and we will be bringing new parts to the car for the French Grand Prix. The car felt good at Indy and with our strategy we would have secured a couple of solid points finishes. Magny Cours can be quite a challenging track to set-up for, because its characteristics change a lot, probably more so than at most other circuits.

"However I quite like driving here, it seems to suit my style and I hope we can have another good race this year. It is a slow track, with low speed corners, hairpins and no major straights, it is a total contrast to the previous three circuits we have raced at."

Ferrari - Michael Schumacher (#5), Felipe Massa (#6):

The United States Grand Prix was another unmitigated success story for Ferrari, coming out of the shadow of Renault to dominate the weekend.

Although cynics suggest that this was more down to Michelin going conservative than Ferrari finding a few missing tenths, the Scuderia were never headed through the weekend and has raised hopes that Schumacher can get back into the title hunt.

With the gap down to 19 points, Schumacher insists it is a chasm that can be bridged, even if he admits that the margin of success at Indianapolis in unlikely to be repeated when Michelin return to more familiar territory.

"From now on, we will fight in the real sense of the word and each race will be an opportunity for us to come back," he stated in the countdown to the eleventh round in the championship. "Nineteen points can be bridged and I am convinced of this. We want to win and will battle to the end. There is no reason to give up."

"Indianapolis was an extremely exciting race but the result should not be overplayed. The gap was too big and the standings did not accurately reflect the true balance of power. In any case, I will enjoy this moment as we have come through some very tough weekends. I think that the race in France could be another classic. We have often seen how details can affect the outcome of a race and this could be true of Magny Cours. We will not know much until everyone takes to the track on Friday."

Emerging as Schumacher's biggest rival over the weekend, it was never realistic that Felipe Massa would be able to convert his excellent start into a win, the Brazilian citing 'clutch trouble' as the reason why his team-mate was a clear distance in front following the first pit-stops.

Engineered or not though, Massa's career-best result of second place was a landmark for the youngster, who has struggled to get the most from the Ferrari package so far this year. It will be the result he hopes can unlock the potential for the rest of the year and possibly challenge for the third place in the standings', currently occupied by Fisichella, just seven points ahead.

Toyota - Ralf Schumacher (#7), Jarno Trulli (#8):

After a much maligned first half of the season, Toyota entered the second half of the year with aplomb when Jarno Trulli scored a sensational fourth place at the United States Grand Prix having started from the pit-lane.

Although his cause was aided by the first corner incident, Trulli still picked his way through the field and ran a competitive pace with those in front, despite carrying one-stop worth of fuel. It was a strategy that paid off, with Trulli only just missing out on a podium.

The result has buoyed both Trulli and the team with the Italian hoping for a hat-trick of points finishes on a circuit he has performed well on in the past, including a fourth place in 2004 and a fifth with Toyota last year.

"I have very good memories of Magny-Cours and I always enjoy visiting France. French is one of the languages that I speak because of all the time that I have spent working for French teams in Formula One," Trulli, who has jumped up to 11th in the standings, said. "That means I have a good relationship with the French fans and I expect to have lots of support in the grandstands."

Although overshadowed by his on form team-mate in recent races, Ralf Schumacher is another who enjoys the annual foray to France, particularly as he has failed to score at Magny-Cours just once in nine attempts, including a win in 2003.

Its an impressive record Schumacher is determined to maintain as he bids to claim his first points since Monaco.

"Magny Cours is a place where I have had success down the years," he noted. "I took my first pole position there five years ago and I also won the event in 2003.

"It is hard to know how we will perform next weekend though but our car has shown it is quick in recent races so we will hope for more next Sunday."

"After our visits to Montreal and Indianapolis, two circuits at the lower end of the downforce range, the French Grand Prix marks a return to higher downforce levels," he continued.

"There is nothing particularly challenging about the Magny-Cours track from a driving perspective but it does feature extremely smooth asphalt. That leads to a less bumpy ride for the drivers but it also means that the performance of the track can vary a lot depending on the weather and track temperature.

Williams F1 - Mark Webber (#9), Nico Rosberg (#10):

Another race that left them scratching their heads, Williams Cosworth come back to Europe searching for answers as to why their pace has dropped again, to the point that they have now slipped to eighth in the constructors' standings behind Toyota and Red Bull.

Testing prior to the French Grand Prix at Jerez was intended to iron out some of these issues, something that Mark Webber insists need to help get them back up the grid after a difficult few races.

"It's good to be back in Europe on terra firma after the two recent fly-away races. Clearly it's a very difficult time for us at the moment as we're not demonstrating the kind of form we want and we need to address this by getting some pace back into the car.

"We will have some different parts on the car to help breach the gap to our opposition but, traditionally, most of the teams use the French Grand Prix as an upgrade point in the season, so it's important we make significant gains. I hope Alex's running is straightforward on Friday in order to give us a strong base for Sunday afternoon."

After a disappointing United States Grand Prix that saw him well off the pace on a circuit he does not know, Nico Rosberg will be relishing a return to Europe and crucially the circuit at which he claimed his maiden GP2 win on the way to a dominant second half of the season.

It is this success that he hopes will allow him to prove more competitive at Magny-Cours than he has of late.

"I like the track at Magny-Cours," the German said. "I won the GP2 race there last year, my first win of the season and the start of a great year for me. I wasn't at the test last week, but I know that the team has been working really hard on improving our aero package recently. We'll be using the Silverstone aero package for this forthcoming race which, I believe, will improve our pace relative to that seen in America. I enjoyed the trip to the States a lot, but it's now nice to be back in Europe."

Honda Racing F1 - Rubens Barrichello (#11), Jenson Button (#12):

Honda were back in the points in the United States, although Rubens Barrichello's sixth place was staunch reward for their fourth and seventh on the grid in a race that saw just nine finish the race.

Nonetheless, Honda have added four points to their tally to stem the gradual closing of their gap to BMW Sauber in fifth place. However, back on European soil, Honda are desperate to find the form that has eluded them since the start of the year.

Still, Barrichello in particular is confident that their test in Jerez has helped them find answers to their questions, with the Brazilian anticipating a very warm and exciting race.

"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," Barrichello said. "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 very hot. We had an intensive test at Jerez this week in very hot conditions looking at the tyres and aero for this race 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."

With its smooth tarmac and flowing bends, Jenson Button's driving style is ideally matched to the Magny-Cours circuit and having scored points there in the last two years, the Brit is hoping to get on the board for the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix this year.

"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."

Red Bull Racing - David Coulthard (#14), Christian Klien (#15):

Just as they did in Canada, Red Bull Racing came from nowhere at Indianapolis to claim a hard fought yet deserving seventh place, courtesy of the ever-reliable David Coulthard.

Although the high attrition rate was an undoubted contributing factor for their result, Coulthard was still able to leapfrog Nico Rosberg at the crucial moment to move into the top eight and eventually secure two points.

Indeed, having barely been noticed throughout practice and qualifying, Coulthard's three points from Canada and the United States was certainly met with pleasure from Red Bull and even pushes them past Williams in the constructors' standings.

Christian Klien meanwhile saw his hopes of retaining a seat in the Red Bull team take a blow at Indianapolis when he was involved in the first corner clash. Catching the dirty line, sliding out of control and hitting Mark Webber's Williams brought about Klien's early demise.

Unfortunately for him, the incident comes as rumours about his place in F1 are gathering pace. Indeed, it has been a decidedly lacklustre season for the Austrian and with several drivers eyeing his seat for 2007, he will need to start improving on the single point he has managed thus far.

Unfortunately for Red Bull, Magny-Cours represents a tough circuit for them and further points may be out of reach. Indeed, the French Grand Prix is not renowned for a high attrition rate and as that has been the reason for their recent flurry of points, it could be a difficult weekend for the team.

BMW Sauber - Nick Heidfeld (#16), Jacques Villeneuve (#17):

Having scored points in a run that stretched back to the European Grand Prix, BMW Sauber's hopes of extending it to six races came to an end in a dramatic way when Nick Heidfeld was pitched in a terrifying barrel-roll and Jacques Villeneuve succumbed to engine failure.

Indeed, BMW Sauber were particularly disappointed to come away from Indianapolis with no points after securing their best combined qualifying effort of the year in sixth and tenth places. It is now the second time in three races that both Heidfeld and Villeneuve have qualified in the top ten and it is a run they are looking to continue in France.

A favourite for both of the drivers, Heidfeld admits he loves returning to Magny-Cours for the French Grand Prix, as he finds the weekend more relaxing that usual. He is also looking forward to getting back in the car having missed the Jerez test to rest his neck muscles.

"I always enjoy racing in Magny-Cours," the German said. "A lot of people aren't so keen on the circuit, particularly as it's way out in the French provinces. It's a beautiful area, but unfortunately there's no time to enjoy the scenery. There are lots of little chateaux with rooms to rent. I always stay at one of them, in a very idyllic location and surrounded by a proper moat. It has a very special charm of its own.

"On the sporting side too, I have fond memories of Magny-Cours, where I have won F3 and Formula 3000 races. It's quite a challenging circuit, especially the two chicanes. They're obscured from view and very narrow at the apex. Basically the track offers everything: a high-speed section, but slow turns as well."

Villeneuve, meanwhile, also feels at home in France, no doubt helped by his French-Canadian origins, but insists he likes the circuit too. He also scored one of Sauber's best results there last year with eighth place and is confident of more of the same this year.

"Last year's French Grand Prix was one of our best races and the car is running very strongly at the moment, so I am looking forward to it as we should have a good weekend. It is a fun track to drive and there is usually some good racing on."

MF1 Racing - Tiago Monteiro (#18), Christijan Albers (#19):

MF1 Racing may have come away from Indianapolis minus the points they were looking to take advantage of on a day of high attrition, but they can be encouraged by the upturn of pace they should around the American circuit.

Getting both of their drivers into the second knockout stage for the first time this season, MF1 were one of only four teams to get both of their cars through the first corner carnage but a gearbox problem for Christijan Albers and a collision with Takuma Sato for Tiago Monteiro meant neither would finish, let alone score their first points of the year.

Nonetheless, the scent of scoring possible points has given both drivers immense confidence going into the second half of the year, particularly for Monteiro, who returns to a circuit he knows well from his days in lower formulas.

"I like the track at Magny-Cours," Monteiro said. "I raced there quite a bit while I was competing in France in the lower categories, so I want to be able to take advantage of that experience. It will also be nice for me to see some friends and old sponsors I was close to when I was living there.

"The team has been working really hard to introduce some new parts for the car, so we need to recompense them with a good finish. We've had some competitive performances that haven't yet translated into good race results, so I really want to keep pushing hard to score the first points for Midland this year!"

Albers, meanwhile, is returning to the circuit where he suffered the biggest crash in his F1 career, courtesy of a problem in the pit stops that allowed a wheel on his Minardi to come lose and pitch him wildly off the circuit. Still, with that behind him, the Dutchman is hoping for better luck this year

"Last year's race at Magny-Cours left a huge impact on me. Literally! Due to technical problems, I lost the car, crashing it at over 200 km/h. That was my first big shunt in Formula 1, but at least it showed me how safe F1 cars are these days. This year, I'm planning on finishing the race and I hope we can build on the qualifying result we achieved in the USA. It's great to be back in Europe, and especially France. This country loves F1, so I hope it will be a good show for the fans and for our team."

Scuderia Toro Rosso - Vitantonio Liuzzi (#20), Scott Speed (#21):

It has been a long time coming but Scuderia Toro Rosso finally got themselves off the mark at Indianapolis, despite Vitantonio Liuzzi actually starting from his worst position of the year.

Indeed, while Liuzzi has largely overshadowed team-mate Scott Speed over the year, it was the American that seemed most likely for a place in the top eight when Liuzzi suffered an engine change and was forced to start from 21st.

However, while Speed's strong grid position made him a sitting duck in the first corner melee, Liuzzi's lower starting place allowed him to pick through the debris to move into contention. Further retirements came and when the Italian planted a move on Nico Rosberg for eighth place, STR were finally able to register a meagre, but crucial, single point.

With the jump on Super Aguri and MF1 in the points, STR will be looking to build upon that form at Magny-Cours, having seen both Speed and Liuzzi begin to mix more frequently with their apparent Red Bull superiors. Magny-Cours is not renowned for its high attrition so more points could be out of reach, but this would be the ideal opportunity to make a play for being a genuine midfield team.

Super Aguri F1 - Takuma Sato (#22), Franck Montagny (#23):

With no French drivers to cheer since Olivier Panis in 2004, Super Aguri have decided to give fans what they want with the announcement that Franck Montagny will make one final appearance with the squad until almost certainly being replaced by Sakon Yamamoto from Germany.

With their new car just a race away, Montagny will be determined to prove strong on a circuit he knows very well and possibly even get the better of Takuma Sato for the first time before he slips back into the third driver role from Hockenheim.

With all eyes on Montagny this weekend, Sato will no doubt appreciate being away from the centre of attention following his controversial clash with Tiago Monteiro last time out in the United States. Still, Sato showed exactly why he has visited the Indianapolis podium in the past with an excellent qualifying effort, before ending his hopes of a strong finish with his second lap clash.

TYRES:

Once again the United States Grand Prix arguably came back down to the tyre situation, with Michelin reportedly having to hold back in a bid to get through the weekend unscathed.

This however gave the advantage resoundingly to Bridgestone for possibly the first time since the 2004 season and their teams duly performed, with Ferrari, Toyota and MF1 all showing massive upturns in pace.

Still, Michelin's conservative approach was never confirmed, so any indications of them slipping behind their Japanese rivals in pace will be best seen at what is Michelin's final home race for the foreseeable future. With 100 wins under their belt, this is the race in which they want to go one up on their century and it is here where we will surely see whether Indianapolis was a mere blip on what has been a successful season so far.

"Following an intense, emotional and essentially successful period in North America, Formula One racing returns to Europe and in particular to Magny-Cours," said Michelin director Nick Shorrock. "It is considered to be the "home GP" for both Renault and Michelin although Michelin does not carry out any testing on the track. "

"Competition in amongst teams remains very tight but we shall be looking for a good performance to add to the current overall positive results of 2006. The track at Magny-Cours is relatively recent and is a very flat track. As such, it allows for lower ride heights and the use of a relatively stiff chassis."

Bridgestone meanwhile go to France buoyed by the news that will once again become the sole supplier for Formula One teams from 2007 and now through to 2010 as well, something which Hiroshi Yasukawa insists helps them concentrate on the rest of the year.

"Last week's announcement by the FIA that Bridgestone has been successful in its tender to become official tyre supplier for the 2008-2010 FIA Formula One World Championships has been a real boost for us all.

"With this important news we can now plan ahead for the future while also fully concentrating on making the most of this year of tyre competition. Ferrari's result in Indianapolis has given them a real chance of fighting for the championship while Toyota is enjoying an upturn in their fortunes. It looks as if we will have an exciting second half of the season!"

THE TRACK:

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.

THE WINNER?

Rumours suggest that Michelin played a conservative game at Indianapolis, giving Bridgestone and namely Ferrari the chance to outshine Renault comprehensively for the first time this year.

As a result, Michelin are likely to be back on form, particularly on home ground, and that means Alonso will be once again the man to beat. Still Raikkonen has always been quick in France, despite never winning, while Felipe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella's strong drives in America could spurn them on to a surprise result.

LAST SEASON:

Competing at Renault's home race, Fernando Alonso completed one of his easiest races of the season, with a comfortable lights-to-flag win that saw him lap every driver with exception to the top three.

That top three was made up of Kimi Raikkonen, who made a stunning effort to put a ten-place grid penalty behind him to finish just over eleven seconds behind Alonso, while Michael Schumacher put on a strong show after his US Grand Prix win in third.

Jenson Button, Jarno Trulli, Giancarlo Fisichella, Ralf Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve rounded out the points positions, having all been outclassed by Alonso and Raikkonen.

1. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault-Renault 70 laps 1hr 31mins 22.233secs
2. Kimi Raikkonen Finland McLaren-Mercedes +11.8secs
3. Michael Schumacher German Ferrari +81.9secs
4. Jenson Button Britain BAR-Honda +1 lap
5. Jarno Trulli Italy Toyota-Toyota +1 lap
6. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Renault-Renault +1 lap
7. Ralf Schumacher Germany Toyota-Toyota +1 lap
8. Jacques Villeneuve Canada Sauber-Petronas +1 lap