Profile: Magny-Cours
- Location: Magny-Cours, France
- Direction: clockwise
- Lap Length: 4.411km
- Race Laps: 70
- Race Legnth: 308.77km
- Lap Record: 1:15.377 (Michael Schumacher, 2004)
- Located approximately halfway between Paris and Lyon, near the town of Magny-Cours, Circuit de Nevers was opened to Grand Prix racing in 1991 after it underwent a major upgrade.
The circuit has a smooth surface meaning grip can sometimes be low and thus makes it difficult to set up a car. Teams usually opt for a medium downforce setting and a lower than normal ride height - this helps to increase downforce whilst producing minimal drag. The circuit has a mixture of high and low speed corners but only two real overtaking opportunities.
A lap with Kimi Raikkonen…
A burst of acceleration along the short pit straight at Magny-Cours sees you reach 170mph / 273kph in fifth gear on the approach to Grand Courbe, before dabbing the brakes slightly to take the flat out long left hander. The sweeping right hander of Estoril follows immediately, and you must keep as much speed as possible as the corner swings you round 180-degrees onto the longest and fastest section of the track, Golf.
Powering along the back straight, which has a gentle curve to the right, you reach speeds of 185mph / 297kph in seventh gear before braking hard for the Adelaide hairpin, which is a good overtaking opportunity. A first gear right hander, you pull some 4.2g as you slow to 50mph / 80kph to negotiate the tight bend. You push hard on the throttle as you exit, reaching 162mph / 260kph in fifth gear along the straight, through the slight right kink, before dabbing the brakes for the fast Nürburgring chicane. You take the right-left weave at some 130mph / 210kph in fourth.
Flicking up through the gears, you briefly touch 162mph / 260kph in fifth gear on the approach to the second hairpin. Wider than Adelaide, and therefore slightly quicker, the 180-degree left hander is taken at 55mph / 88kph in second gear. On the power on the exit through another right-left weave, you reach 153mph / 245kph in fourth on the approach to the fast fourth gear Imola chicane. The track dips as you take the right-left chicane at 135mph / 217kph. A short burst of acceleration takes you to the Château d'Eau, the long right hander, which has been altered slightly, sees you slow from 140mph / 225kph in fourth to 60mph / 96kph in second.
Accelerating out you reach 160mph / 257kph along the new approach to Lycée, which has a gentle curve to the left. We will have to brake hard for the sharp right of Lycée, which is taken at 50mph / 80kph in second, and leads back onto the start-finish straight, through a right-left kink, to begin another lap.
Circuit maps as featured in F1 Championship Manager.
