A return to Paul Ricard for the first time in 28 years is unlikely to alter the curious anomalies that grew with this track from the moment of its addition to the F1 calendar in 1971.
The brainchild of Paul Ricard, a drinks magnate and the inventor of Pastis, his track and facilities were state of the art with run-off areas, air-conditioned offices and an extensive tree-fringed paddock with the convenience of a nearby airport suitable for F1's high flyers. The July dates generally ensured glorious weather -- and yet the paying public tended to show a preference for the beach rather than this arid expanse of racetrack, high on a wind-whipped plateau above the Mediterranean town of Bandol.