Circuit Paul Ricard
France's high-tech test venue with an enormous flat layout, huge run-off and endless configurations. Predictable, safe and fast — the antithesis of the Nordschleife, and superb for learning at speed.
- Length
- 5.842 km
- 3.63 miles
- Direction
- Clockwise
- 15 corners
- Noise limit
- Typically
- check with operator
- Elevation
- 432 m
- above sea level
Live conditions
Live weather is temporarily unavailable. The circuit guide and observed rain radar are still available.
Rain forecast & radar
forecast: next 24h · radar: past 2h (observed)Rain forecast — next 12h
Forecast data is temporarily unavailable. Please try again shortly.
Forecast rain map — play the loop to see where the model expects rain over the next 24 hours around the circuit.
Observed rain radar — which way the rain has actually been moving. A dry paddock doesn't mean a dry apex.
Track map
Grand Prix (5.842 km) · Clockwise · 15 corners- 01S de la Verrerie
- 03Virage du Camp
- 05L'Écolé
- 06Le Village
- 08Mistral straight
- 10Signes
- 11Le Beausset
- 12Bendor
- 13Garlaban
- 14Le Pont
- 15Le Tour
Outline traced from surveyed map data (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Corner markers are indicative — not a substitute for the circuit's own briefing map.
The full F1 configuration with the Mistral straight uninterrupted. Over 160 layout combinations exist; this is the headline one.
What's on
Track days
- Year-round
Sessioned car track days (multiple configurations)
Various European operators
- Winter
Winter testing — the mild south-coast climate is the draw
Various operators
Race meetings
- Summer
GT World Challenge Europe round
SRO
- Season-long
French national championship meetings
FFSA
Curated by hand and shown as typical timing rather than confirmed dates. Always check the operator's or organising club's own calendar before booking travel.
Key info
- Noise limit
- Typically 95 dB(A) drive-by — the circuit is noise-monitored and limits are actively enforced
- Elevation notes
- Flat plateau above Le Castellet with only gentle undulation. The Mistral straight is exposed and the wind off the plateau genuinely affects top speed and braking.
Known tricky sections
- Signes
Taken at the end of the Mistral straight at very high speed. Reference points are scarce and the corner arrives fast.
- Blue and red run-off
The abrasive painted run-off destroys tyres and slows you dramatically. It's a safety feature, not extra track — don't use it as a line.
- Beausset complex
Double-apex right after Signes with a long, loaded exit. Easy to overslow and hard to carry speed through.
- Track temperature
Southern France in summer means surface temperatures that punish tyres and brakes. Manage your run lengths.
Nearby amenities
- Fuel
Circuit fuel station
98 RON and race fuel available on site; card payment.
- Fuel
Le Beausset / Le Castellet village
Ten minutes down the hill from the circuit gate.
- Food
Circuit restaurants
Paddock catering on event days; Le Castellet village is a short and much better drive.
- Accommodation
Hôtel du Castellet
On-site five-star option; Bandol and Toulon are 25–40 minutes for cheaper beds.
Travelling from the UK
Nearest airports
Toulon–Hyères (TLN) ~40 min; Marseille (MRS) ~1h; Nice (NCE) ~2h.
Typical routes
- Eurotunnel/ferry to Calais then A26–A6–A7 south — around 11–12 hours' driving, usually split overnight near Lyon.
- Portsmouth–Caen or Newhaven–Dieppe ferry to shorten the drive through northern France.
- Fly to Marseille and hire locally if you're not bringing your own car.
Documentation & border notes
- UK-registered cars need a UK identifier — a UK sticker, or a number plate carrying the UK identifier. GB stickers are no longer valid.
- Check your road insurance covers EU driving and carry proof; a green card is not currently required for EU countries.
- Track driving is excluded from virtually every road policy — arrange separate on-track cover before you travel.
- Carry your V5C (or VE103 for a hire/lease car), photocard licence and passport.
- France requires a warning triangle and hi-vis vest, and headlamp beam deflectors for RHD cars.
- Crit'Air sticker is required for low-emission zones including Marseille and Lyon — order it before you travel.
- French motorway tolls are card-friendly; a télépéage tag saves a lot of time when towing.