Le Castellet, Provence · FR
A modern test facility turned race circuit in the hills of Provence. Famous for its distinctive blue and red run-off stripes, Paul Ricard offers 167 possible circuit configurations and a Mediterranean climate.
Set in Le Castellet, Provence, Circuit Paul Ricard is a permanent racing circuit. A lap covers 5.842 km (3.63 miles) and 15 corners, run clockwise.
The circuit opened in 1970 and holds FIA Grade 1 licensing. GT and WEC all race here. It holds roughly 90,000 spectators.
The circuit was funded by pastis. Paul Ricard, who had built a fortune on the aniseed drink, financed a modern racing facility on the plateau above Bandol; construction started in June 1969 and it opened on 19 April 1970. The defining feature was the Mistral, a straight of about a mile leading into the very fast Signes corner.
Ricard died in 1997 and Bernie Ecclestone's company bought the circuit the following year, rebuilding it as a private testing venue rather than a race track. That rebuild produced the surface the place is now known for: instead of gravel, the run-off is painted asphalt in graded abrasiveness — the blue zones slow a car, the deeper red zones slow it harder. It is unmistakable on television and unusual in offering no penalty of dust or damage for running wide.
Check availability for June 4–6, 2027
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