2002 French GP

Located in the centre of France, Circuit Nevers in Magny-Cours was formerly a Club Racing facility before being upgraded to Formula One standards to host its first Grand Prix in 1991. Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda driver, Heinz-Harald Frentzen took the team to victory at this circuit for the French Grand Prix in 1999.

Circuit Nevers has a very large pit and paddock area, with the increased space making the working environment much easier than at some of the other circuits on the seventeen race calendar. The track is considered technical with its combination of low speed hairpins, medium speed corners, long straights and fast chicanes and offers a few good overtaking opportunities with its high speed and flowing nature. The smooth surface allows cars to run with a low ride height which creates additional downforce, although the downside to this surface is its harsh effect on the rear tyres. The first two corners at the end of the main straight are very fast, with the first left hander taken almost flat out, followed quickly by a long and fast right hander where a good exit speed is crucial as this dictates a car's speed along the Golf straight up to the Adelaide hairpin. With hot temperatures further playing a part in tyre and driver performance, the Circuit Nevers provides a challenging and usually exciting race.

Magny-Cours’ Circuit de Nevers gave Jordan one of its three Grand Prix wins, when in 1999 a faultless strategy, excellent team-work and a strong drive by Heinz-Harald Frentzen enabled the team to take advantage of a wet race to claim victory, ahead of Mika Hakkinen and Rubens Barrichello. At this year’s French Grand Prix, DHL Jordan Honda is looking for top-ten qualifying positions, which would bring the opportunity to finish in the top six and return to a points-scoring momentum.

Gary Anderson, Director of Race and Test Engineering, said, “Magny-Cours is a good track because it has a few decent fast corners. Although the fast chicanes are quite demanding for the car, the driver, and the engineers, there are hardly any overtaking opportunities. There is one at the end of the main straight at the hairpin, but unfortunately it follows a very fast corner, so even that is a difficult spot to get past anyone. People have said it can become something of a procession at the front, but it means that qualifying is crucial and all the more exciting because of the character of the race.

Rubens Barrichello continued his strong form at Ferrari with the fastest time in first practice this morning at the revised Magny Cours circuit. The Brazilian lapped the track a mere 0.043s quicker than the second placed McLaren of David Coulthard.

McLaren set the pace in practice with David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen eclipsing the two Ferraris. DHL Jordan Honda drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Takuma Sato were 12th and 15th respectively, with Fisi the 3rd fastest of the Bridgestone runners after Ferrari.

Giancarlo Fisichella escaped from a high speed crash twenty minutes before the end of Saturday morning's second practice session, causing it to be red-flagged while his Jordan Honda was retrieved and the tyre barriers repaired. The Italian was unable to avoid crashing into the wall after the front wing on his EJ12 appeared to break off over one of the kerbs and become lodged under the front wheels, lifting them off the ground and leaving Fisichella without steering or front braking.

Giancarlo Fisichella will not participate in qualifying following his heavy accident in practice this morning. DHL Jordan Honda has issued a short statement confirming this, and Takuma Sato will therefore be the team's sole representative in qualifying this afternoon.

Michael Schumacher emerged quickest in Saturday morning practice, but the major talking point from the session was the high speed accident which before Giancarlo Fisichella's Jordan Honda twenty minutes before the end. His car speered off the track and into the tyre wall at high speed, resulting in Fisico being transferred to hospital for a check-up and causing extensive damage to his race car.

Juan Pablo Montoya claimed pole postion at the end of a dramatic qualifying which saw Michael Schumacher put everything into trying to beat the Columbian only for the Williams driver to maintain an advantage over him on the very last run. The pair left their final runs for the dying seconds of qualifying, but whilst Schumacher improved to set a time of 1.12.008 Montoya had crossed the line a few seconds earlier to achieve a lap of 1.11.985.

Giancarlo Fisichella will not race in tomorrow's French Grand Prix on the advise of the FIA's medical chief Professor Sid Watkins. Although the Italian was given the all clear following his accident this morning, Watkins has advised that he should rest for the next few days given the seriousness of the impact.

The Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello were quickest in warm-up this morning while DHL Jordan Honda's Takuma Sato was 11th fastest i the warm and sunny conditions. With the Renaults and Saubers completing the top six, pole sitter Juan Pablo Montoya was back in 14th, two places behind team mate Ralf Schumacher, and suggesting that the Williams pair may be running a different fuel strategy from Ferrari in the race.

Takuma Sato's French Grand Prix ended prematurely after 24 laps with his Jordan Honda EJ12 beached in the gravel trap at the last corner when he understeered off the track. The Japanese star had enjoyed an eventful race until then, a first corner collision with the BAR of Oliver Panis being followed by a battle with the Jaguar of Pedro de le Rosa and the charging Sauber of Felipe Massa.

Michael Schumacher clinched the 2002 FIA Formula One World Championship for Drivers by winning the French Grand Prix at Magny Cours today, defeating Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard in spite of their determined and sometimes spectacular efforts. The fact that Schumi achieved his victory after making no fewer than three visits to the pits, including a Drive Through Penalty for overshooting the white line at the exit of the pit lane during one of his scheduled stops, once again demonstrated his prowess.