The French Grand Prix is one of the oldest races in the world. First staged in 1906, it featured on the inaugural Formula 1 calendar in 1950 and has been staged at seven different venues over the years. Paul Ricard first hosted the race in 1971. The track was then revamped in the late ‘90s, when it was given the acronym HTTT (High Tech Test Track) and the race returned to the track in 2018 after a 28-year gap.

Carlos Sainz: "We are now a third of the way through the season and, as expected, the midfield is getting tighter. Every race is an opportunity we must take. We recently saw how we are able to score at tracks that really didn't suit us much and, at the same time, how small details can leave you out of the points. That means there is no margin whatsoever to sit back and relax, so we are coming to France fully focussed and wanting to push hard again.

"I'm looking forward to heading back to the south of France this weekend. The track might still be new to modern Formula 1, but I have had some great races there before in the junior formulae. It's a lovely part of the world and I really hope we can put on a good show for all the fans."

Lando Norris: "I'm excited to get back racing again after Canada and to experience Ricard in an F1 car for the first time. The teams in the midfield are really close and we've had some good battles over the last few races. We know the fight in France will be just as tough and I've been doing plenty of work in the factory to prepare for this weekend.

"As a team we just have to keep giving it our all at every single race as small mistakes can cost us. I'll be focusing on getting up to speed as quickly as I can on Friday. I've got previous experience at Ricard having raced in Formula Renault and F2 there."

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: "We head back to Europe ready to push again. The French Grand Prix is an event steeped in history and the current circuit offers good opportunities for racing; I'm looking forward to visiting.

"The midfield battle is proving to be very close and competitive. Canada showed that the margin between a good weekend and a not so good weekend is extremely narrow. As a team, we continue to focus on our race weekend execution, as well as developing and improving the MCL34 at each race weekend.

"With two-thirds of the season left to go, we still have a lot to play for. We are pushing hard to maximise our performance at every opportunity."

Race laps: 53

Circuit length: 5.842km/3.630 miles

Total race distance: 309.691km/192.442 miles

Distance to Turn One: 600m/0.373 miles

Number of corners: 15 (nine right, six left)