LE CASTELLET, France -- Fans attending the first day of action at the French Grand Prix were forced to wait for hours in traffic jams as road management around the circuit proved woefully inadequate.
The traffic was particularly bad between 10am and 1pm as fans attempted to arrive in time for the first practice session at midday. With so many spectators stuck outside the venue, the large grandstands erected around the circuit remained sparsely populated throughout both practice sessions.
It was not until the afternoon that the organisers took action to ease the congestion, opening all available car parks simultaneously (25,000 spaces in total) and temporarily doubling the lanes on roads in the immediate vicinity of the circuit.