French Grand Prix: the lost circuits and how to find them

The French Grand Prix returns to the Formula 1 schedule this weekend following a ten-year hiatus.

The race will be held at the Paul Ricard circuit, near Marseille - the first time the track has been used for an F1 event since 1990. The F1 action moved to the Mangy-Cours circuit from 1991, before the French round was removed from the calendar in 2009.

The return to France highlights the country’s long history with Grand Prix racing. Seven different routes have been used for the French GP, but many of the races were held on public roads and the circuits have since been resigned to history books.

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Some motorsport fans still visit these sites as a form of pilgrimage. Here are some of the most iconic French Grand Prix circuits of yesteryear and how to find them:

Reims-Gueux, Gueux

Credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The first circuit ever to host a F1 race in France was Reims-Gueux, in 1950. Taking place on the public roads just outside of Gueux town, Reims-Gueux was a simple but extremely fast circuit for its time.

Unlike with many of France’s lost racing circuits, a number of F1-related structures are still standing along the route today, including the old pit complex and grandstands. Volunteers are working to spruce up these landmarks with a fresh coat of paint, and putting up advertising boards from the 1950s.

The start-finish straight can be found on the D27. The route then heads south to the D26, where it loops to the N31 before coming back around to the D27.

If you’re planning a trip over from the UK, Gueux is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Calais, where the Euro Tunnel station is located.

Circuit de Charade, Clermont Ferrand

Many consider the 12.9-mile Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany to be the most gruelling and dangerous circuits of all time. That may be true, but the five-mile Circuit de Charade in France also posed plenty of risks.

The track, which was built around a dormant volcano, hosted the French Grand Prix in 1965, 1969, 1970 and 1972.

The twisting turns around the mountain and extreme G-forces caused drivers some discomfort. According to Motor Sport magazine, F1 champion Jochen Rindt had to retire from the 1969 French Grand Prix after suffering double vision.

The full track was closed in 1988 amid safety fears, but a shorter track was created in 1989 and can still be driven today. It’s located at the bottom of the full grand prix track and features the broken access roads to the old loop.

You can also take a turn on the old route, which is relatively simple to find. A four-hour drive south of Paris will take circuit hunters to the town of Clermont Ferrand (there is a local airport for those who prefer to fly).

The track itself is 20 miles southwest of the town. The old route can be found on the D5 and D5f roads north of the newer, permanent track.

Rouen-Les-Essarts, Rouen

Rouen-Les-Essart is one of the trickiest motor racing circuits to find on the planet. Very little of it remains today, with the entire pit complex and grandstands demolished in 1999, when the circuit was closed owing to safety concerns.

The four-mile circuit consisted of public roads with few run-off areas or guard rails, so drivers who made a mistake often suffered severe consequences. One of the track’s most horrific accidents came in 1968, when F1 debutant Jo Schlesser died when his Honda RA302 burst into flames after crashing into a grass mound.

The roads where the race was held can be found 12 miles southwest of Rouen city. The D938 road used to be the start-finish straight, and a vast concrete wasteland today marks where the old pit buildings stood.

Heading south, the road joins up with the D123, which takes you through to the second half of the circuit.

Dijon-Prenois, Pasques

Although Dijon-Prenois still hosts events, albeit minor ones, the circuit has fallen off most people’s radar since it last hosted the French Grand Prix, in 1984.

The undulating 2.4-mile circuit featured an action-packed, overtaking-filled race during the 1979 event [see above]. Ferrari’s Gilles Villeneuve and Rene Arnoux for Renault banged wheels and slid past each other on the way to second and third place respectively, behind race winner Jean-Pierre Jabouille.

The circuit is located just outside of the small town Pasques, which is just over three hours by car from Paris, with most of the journey spent on the A38.

Top image credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images