The French Grand Prix typically signals the beginning of the section of the season that decides the outcome of the World Championship, and this year looks to be no different. Due to accidents, there are two new drivers and a third driver has moved teams, making the race even more interesting.

A lap of Magny-Cours

The pits are superb, the circuit is smooth and the run off areas are immense. Even the weather is invariably hot, so why don't the drivers like Magny-Cours? It all comes down to the shape of the circuit itself. There are some good medium-to-fast corners, but there are also a couple of tight hairpins that have no place on a modern race track. So what's a fast lap like then? As the cars cross the start/finish line, the drivers check their pit boards before screaming into the flat out left-hander, Grande Courbe. The course then eases right into a long, fast hairpin, usually taken in fourth, known as the Estoril Bend. The drivers then speed down the main straight and pass through the flat out Golf Course kink before slamming on the brakes for the slowest hairpin on the course, Adelaide. The entry to this corner offers one of the few overtaking manoeuvres, but the actual hairpin can only really be taken in single file. It's flat out down the next straight, however, and the drivers chase each other through the fast Nurburgring bend before attempting to outbrake each other into the next slow hairpin. The cars then accelerate off again and head towards the fast Imola Bend - a superbly challenging corner, taken in fifth, that dips down, right, then up and left again. There is no respite for the drivers, though, as they have to slam on the brakes once more to negotiate the long right hander, Chateau d'Eau. The cars pass through another chicane, before negotiating the tight, first gear Lycee hairpin and beginning another lap.

Circuit Length: 2.640 miles / 4.250 km Race length: 72 laps (190.139 miles / 306.000km)

What happened last year?

The Field

Arrows-Yamaha
Although it still doesn't look like the D-spec Yamaha will be used in the race, Arrows will again use the new engine in practice and qualifying, the place where they have suffered most recently. Damon Hill will soon announce for whom he will be racing in 1998, so the team will be hoping for a good weekend. Clearly, Damon is the centre of attention and is the Arrows driver most likely to score any points, but with the performance of the other cars it will be an uphill struggle. Pedro Diniz is still struggling, but his speed was never going to look good compared to the World Champion.

Rothmans Williams-Renault
The Williams team is still favourite for the Constructors' Championship, but things are looking slightly shaky for the drivers. Both have made many mistakes so far, and with Michael Schumacher topping the table, they will have to buck their ideas up. Jacques Villeneuve is still the man who I would expect most of in France and needs to win to keep his title hopes alive. Heinz-Harald Frentzen ran well in Canada when he was in the pack, but seems to be making a hash of running near the front. Tyres are one excuse, but can he be THAT unlucky two races in a row?

Marlboro Scuderia Ferrari
Ferrari and Michael Schumacher can do no wrong at the moment it seems. They go to a race predicting a fair performance and beat the "dominant" Williams-Renault team. Although the chassis is said to be average at best, Schumacher seems to have the measure of it and the 46/02 engine looks to be as good as any built at Maranello. The memory of the #1 Ferrari expiring on the warm-up lap last year will be strong in the minds of the team members and they will be keen to set matters straight. As I have said before, Michael Schumacher is, without a doubt, the best driver at the moment and can never be counted out. As such I would expect the former World Champion to be fighting for top honours. Eddie Irvine is a difficult person to predict. Some days he drives well, other days he seems uninspired, but his test times at Magny-Cours were encouraging so I would expect a top 10 qualifying position and points during the race.

Mild Seven Benetton-Renault
Benetton claim to have ironed out a lot of the niggling problems that have plagued the cars since the start of the season and recent testing seems to confirm this. Jean Alesi has been flying at Magny-Cours and Renault always have a "special" variant of their engine on hand for the home race so who knows what will happen? The possibility remains that Gerhard Berger will again be substituted for by Alex Wurz in Canada, but this is a track the young Austrian knows, so he can be expected to run better than last time. Alesi has been looking a lot better of late and will need to make a big splash if he is to get a good drive in 1998. Benetton have been a lot better in race trim than in qualifying, so if the cars close to the front of the grid, watch out for them.

West McLaren-Mercedes
After what must have been a crushing loss at the Canadian Grand Prix, McLaren will be keen to set matters straight in France. Recently the Woking based team have been making all the right calls as far as race strategy is concerned and are invariably not far off the pace in qualifying. David Coulthard is pushing hard both on track and off to keep his seat in 1998, and is by far the more impressive of the two drivers. David qualifies better than his team-mate and this usually is what gives him the better finishes on race day. Mika Hakkinen is having a less than successful season, and will be hoping for a turn-around in the second half of the season. Mika does very well under race conditions but seems to have lost the way a little in qualifying recently, but should this be reversed, he could well find himself looking at a win.

Benson and Hedges Total Jordan-Peugeot
Jordan, yet again, stand poised to take their first victory in F1. Recent test times have been very good, and it now seems that they are truly part of the top rank in F1. Still, the question remains about whether it is the engine, drivers or the chassis that gives them their new found performance gain. Regardless, Eddie Jordan will be keen to put in a faultless performance in front of the Peugeot top-brass, ahead of the final decision about whether Peugeot will power Jordan Grand Prix in 1998. Giancarlo Fisichella seems to have been getting the better of Ralf Schumacher of late, and he will be keen to improve upon his 3rd place in Canada. Still, Ralf has been the only Jordan driver at the recent tests and as such will have the upper hand at first.

Gauloises Blondes Prost-Mugen Honda
Alain Prost has lost his number one driver Olivier Panis and much of the news since the last race has been about the replacement. It has recently been announced that Jarno Trulli will move over from Minardi to the empty Prost seat and I think that it will be the big chance for the brilliant Italian. The Prost crew know the circuit intimately and with several days extensive testing under his belt, Bridgestone rubber on the car, and Mugen power under his foot, Jarno could well score his first podium at the weekend. Shinji Nakano is no closer to Trulli than he was to Panis, but "home" track knowledge should see him go better than we have seen previously.

Red Bull Sauber-Petronas
Sauber are the second team sporting a new driver after their "new" number 2 broke an arm in testing last week. In place comes Argentine driver Norberto Fontana, in the past tipped by many as a future World Champion. Sadly, his career has stalled in Formula Nippon where that of rival Ralf Schumacher has skyrocketed. Even worse, Norberto has joined a team that is based around Johnny Herbert, and he has little recent F1 experience to draw on. At best he will perform as well as Gianni Morbidelli at worst he may not even qualify. Johnny Herbert is another driver knocking on the door of success, and should things fall right he may well find himself on the podium.

Tyrrell-Ford
Tyrrell are the most improved team of 1997 so far, and both drivers look confident and assured in the car. Mika Salo is tipped for big things soon, but an impressive Jos Verstappen may be the name on many shopping lists if things continue as they are going now. Jos is definitely the more impressive in race conditions at the moment and if, like Mika Hakkinen, he improves in qualifying he will eclipse his team mate. Mika Salo qualifies well, but seems to back off in the races, yet his performance in Monte Carlo indicates it is strategic rather than a flaw in his make up.

Minardi-Hart
Minardi have let their star driver go, and replaced him with Tarso Marques, the driver who impressed so much at the start of last season. Ukyo Katayama will no doubt seize the moment and try to make himself look as good as possible, but I would be surprised if Marques didn't get the upper hand eventually. It is sad that Minardi now find themselves at the back of the grid, but both drivers are good and if given a chance they could well surprise many people.

Stewart-Ford
Stewart will, no doubt, be bouyed by their performance in Canada and looking to the second half of the season to bring the results they deserve. Rubens Barrichello is certainly top dog in the Stewart camp and is driving better than ever before. If the car suits the track he will fly, and if not will still be around the middle of the field. Racing isn't the strong point of the team at the moment, but if he finishes he will more than likely be in the points. Jan Magnussen is still failing to live up to the hype. Whilst Rubens was at the front of the grid in qualifying for the last GP, he was at the back, so far behind his team mate in qualifying differentials that the wooden spoon appears won by him already. I hope things improve, but it is looking more and more like Jackie Stewart made a mistake.

Enjoy the race...