Formula 1 returns to the Paul Ricard

Le Castellet, 8 March 2017 – The rumble of Formula 1 engines was heard again on the Paul Ricard a year ahead of schedule. In 2018 the track will host the French Grand Prix, which hasn't been held since 2009. But ahead of that the drivers of the F1 Clienti and XX Programmes provided an exceptional test run for the Paul Ricard with their first event of the season.   Legendary corner. The F1 cars taking to the track included a F399, the car that opened the victorious era dominated by Michael Schumacher. Ferrari didn't take the drivers title that year after the German's injury at Silverstone, but it did claim the Constructors' Championship, always the prime target for Maranello. Besides the F399, 10 other Ferrari single-seaters provided thrills and excitement down the Mistral straight and round the legendary Signes corner. They included two F2002s, the car with which Schumacher won the championship at Magny-Cours in July, the F2007 of Kimi Raikkonen and the F150° Italia belonging to Fernando Alonso.   Almost 38,000 hp. The 40 Ferraris together totalled a record of almost 38,000 hp, which is more than will be present in 2018 for the Formula 1 Grand Prix. The 19 FXX Ks on track pack 1050 hp each, while the 599XXs have a total output of 5840 hp and the FXXs deliver 3200 hp. Eleven Formula 1 cars also provided around 9000 hp. The next two days of the F1 Clienti and XX Programmes tests is set for mid-April at Mugello, a circuit always popular among Ferrari customers.