French Grand Prix 2018

[Kev_mk3]

In 2018, the French Grand Prix will be staged at the Circuit Paul Ricard. I haven't been to the circuit since I was a child and with me being in France for the Le Mans 24hr the weekend before I am thinking about continuing my trip down south so my mrs can get her F1 fix so she's also happy.

Has anyone camped at Paul Ricard or been in the last few years? Any certain places I should look for tickets at all or register for tickets?

thanks

Kev

[Bonio]

@Lofty

[Mikeboz2]

I had the same plan for next year...
....but then Porsche have withdrawn which will turn next year's LM into a Toyota procession/coronation. Unless there's some amazing footwork from ACO to make a meaningful race.

[Kev_mk3]

waiting on a few replies about tickets and camping now

[LuxExpat]

Home to LM is 600km
LM24, leave on Mon or Tue
Drive 900km SE to Paul Ricard for a w/e of F1
Drive 900km N home

Under consideration!

[lofty]

Kev the nearest campsite is L'Arbois du Castellet part of the Franceloc group.The next one is Camping Grand Pins. Book as soon as possible as the're quite small. For the 24hr bike race they only let bikes in ans had a tiny campsite. Berni don't want vans and cars with loads of beer and stuff messing up his estate in Provence. They may open up more areas for camping and i'll report back after our october visit for the Dix Mille meeting.There is a huge wood to the west of the circuit which would make a great campsite i'll let you know if anything happens there. There is only 1 entrance to the circuit at the moment so get up early,i can't imagine they wont build some new gates in. They also need to put more fencing up to open more Spectator viewing for GP crowd numbers. When the place was rebuilt for a test track 250,000 people was'nt in mind then. Beware it can be 35c one day and drop 10-20c the next if the mistral blows. Only 3 sh*t roads in so traffic will be hell (park n ride perhaps). More news if anything happens by october. If you gat the beach is only down the road!

[lofty]

Home to LM is 600km
LM24, leave on Mon or Tue
Drive 900km SE to Paul Ricard for a w/e of F1
Drive 900km N home

Under consideration

Our trip to Spa was 962km north
1100km South via Dijon

[Kristof]

Was at PR last weekend for the ELMS.

Work has started on fencing around the track, also on Mistral straight.  A new footbridge has already been built from the paddock area to the outside of Mistral straight near the chicane.  Parking at the back of the paddock has been resurfaced and will be covered apparently.
With al the new fences going up, PR is just another beautiful track that will be ruined by F1 (at least for us photographers).

I still can't get it how they will cope with all the in- & outgoing traffic during F1 weekends.  There's literally just one road in & out the track, guess the easiest way will be to fly in.  Spotted a few small campsites near the track, but that won't be sufficient for the F1 crowd.  If you ask me, F1 will be pure chaos down there > no way to get in, no way to get out, even more overrated hotelprices than now ... 

[Boorish Grobian]

As I recall, traffic in & out of Ricard was always a nightmare when it used to host the French GP back in the seventies & eighties.  They used to joke that families would visibly grow older waiting in the traffic queues.  Great to see F1 back at Ricard, but I would have thought the traffic infrastructure around the circuit would be updated along with circuit facilities.
Fax

[Pilgrim]

As I recall, traffic in & out of Ricard was always a nightmare when it used to host the French GP back in the seventies & eighties.  They used to joke that families would visibly grow older waiting in the traffic queues.  Great to see F1 back at Ricard, but I would have thought the traffic infrastructure around the circuit would be updated along with circuit facilities.
Fax

To be fair, there was a time in F1 when a circuit having permanent facilities at all was a sign of its status. Paul Ricard's predecessor at Reims, for instance.

[Kev_mk3]

due to work time off and mrs time off its a no go now.


Oh well maybe another year