F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Paul Ricard Speed Trap: Who is the fastest of them all?

Red Bull's Christian Horner said this weekend that if his team can beat Mercedes fair and square at Paul Ricard, then the bulls can beat the reigning world champions anywhere.

And the reason perhaps lies in the optimized balance of Red Bull's RB16B coupled with the car's straightline speed. Putting the two together adds up to a near perfect package as poleman Max Verstappen aptly demonstrated in qualifying.

Many deplore the presence of the chicane that splits Paul Ricard's long Mistral straight, but the venue still delivers reasonably big numbers when it comes to maximum velocity.

Verstappen clocked in at 328.7 km/h at the end of the first part of the Mistral straight when F1's main speed trap is situated this weekend.

It's been two years since F1 last raced at Paul Ricard, and the Dutchman's top speed was approximately 14 km/h slower than the fastest speed recorded in 2019, achieved back then by Renault's Daniel Ricciardo.

Comparing Red Bull and Mercedes, or rather Verstappen and Hamilton, the Briton was beaten by his championship rival by 0.258s in Q3, but only a small portion of that deficit was due to the 4 km/h difference in top speed between the two drivers.

Still, an edge is an edge, and Mercedes will perhaps need to get creative on the strategy front to put one over the raging bulls this afternoon.

But then again, there's always the unexpected...

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Aston Martin says performance shortfall led to Fallows exit

Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough has shed some light on why the team’s former…

7 hours ago

FIA clamps down on plank loophole after Red Bull complaint

The FIA has issued a pivotal Technical Directive to F1 teams ahead of this weekend’s…

8 hours ago

F1 drivers blindsided by race director Wittich’s sudden exit

The abrupt removal last week of FIA race director Niels Wittich with just three races…

9 hours ago

McLaren relaxes ‘papaya rules’: Norris and Piastri free to race

Oscar Piastri has confirmed that McLaren’s team orders—dubbed the "Papaya Rules"—have been largely relaxed, giving…

11 hours ago

Cheers to the forever young pure racer Jacques Laffite

The forever young Jacques Laffite turns 81 today, but the years haven't aged this pure…

12 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Wednesday's build-up in pictures

The neon lights of Las Vegas are set to illuminate the Formula 1 world once…

13 hours ago