Formula One drivers from France

Last updated

Formula One drivers from France
Flag of France.svg
Drivers 74
Grands Prix977
Entries3159
Starts2932
Best season finish1st (1985, 1986, 1989, 1993)
Wins 81
Podiums 310
Pole positions 79
Fastest laps 91
Points3593.47 [lower-alpha 1]
First entry 1950 British Grand Prix
First win 1955 Monaco Grand Prix
Latest win 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix
Latest entry 2024 Monaco Grand Prix
2024 drivers Pierre Gasly
Esteban Ocon
Alain Prost in 2012 Festival automobile international 2012 - Photocall - Alain Prost - 013.jpg
Alain Prost in 2012

There have been 74 Formula One drivers from France, the most successful of them being Alain Prost, who won the World Drivers' Championship four times.

Contents

World champions and race winners

The title has been won by a French driver on four occasions, all of which were victories for Alain Prost. [3] Thirteen other drivers have won at least one race, though they are all far behind Prost's tally of 51 wins. [4]

Rene Arnoux in 2008 Rene Arnoux WSR2008 HU.png
René Arnoux in 2008
Didier Pironi in 1982 Didier Pironi 1982.jpg
Didier Pironi in 1982
Patrick Depailler in 1975 PatrickDepailler-ar.jpg
Patrick Depailler in 1975
Jean Alesi in 2001 Jean Alesi 2001.jpg
Jean Alesi in 2001
Gasly driving for AlphaTauri at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix FIA F1 Austria 2021 Nr. 10 Gasly.jpg
Gasly driving for AlphaTauri at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix
Ocon driving for Alpine-Renault at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix FIA F1 Austria 2021 Nr. 31 Ocon.jpg
Ocon driving for Alpine-Renault at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix

Driver statistics

Jean-Pierre Jabouille in 1975 JeanPierreJabouille1975.jpg
Jean-Pierre Jabouille in 1975
DriversActive YearsEntriesWinsPodiumsCareer PointsPolesFastest LapsChampionships
Eugène Chaboud 19501951 300100-
Philippe Étancelin 19501952 1200300-
Yves Giraud-Cabantous 19501953 1300500-
Pierre Levegh 19501951 600000-
Henri Louveau 19501951 200000-
Guy Mairesse 19501951 300000-
Robert Manzon 19501956 29 (28 starts)021600-
Eugène Martin 1950 200000-
Charles Pozzi 1950 100000-
Louis Rosier 19501956 38021800-
Raymond Sommer 1950 500300-
Maurice Trintignant 19501964 86 (81 starts) [lower-alpha 2] 210 [18] 72 1⁄301-
Aldo Gordini 1951 100000-
Georges Grignard 1951 100000-
André Simon 19511952, 19551957 12 (11 starts)00000-
Marcel Balsa 1952 100000-
Élie Bayol 19521956 8 (7 starts)00200-
Jean Behra 19521959 53 (52 starts) [lower-alpha 3] 0951 1⁄701-
Roger Loyer 1954 100000-
Jacques Pollet 19541955 500000-
Jean Lucas 1955 100000-
Mike Sparken 1955 100000-
André Guelfi [21] 1958 100000-
François Picard 1958 100000-
Jean Lucienbonnet 1959 1 (0 starts)00000-
Bernard Collomb 19611964 6 (4 starts)00000-
Guy Ligier 19661967 13 (12 starts)00100-
Jo Schlesser 19661968 300000-
Jean-Pierre Beltoise 19671974 88 (86 starts)187704-
Johnny Servoz-Gavin 19671970 13 (12 starts)01900-
Henri Pescarolo 19681974, 1976 64 (57 starts)011201-
François Cevert 19691973 48 (47 starts)1138902-
Jean-Pierre Jarier 1971, 19731983 143 (135 starts)0331.533-
Max Jean 1971 100000-
François Mazet 1971 100000-
Patrick Depailler 1972, 19741980 95219139 (141) [22] 14-
François Migault 1972, 19741975 16 (13 starts)00000-
José Dolhem 1974 3 (1 start)00000-
Jean-Pierre Jabouille 19741975, 19771981 55 (49 starts)222160-
Jacques Laffite 19741986 180 (176 starts)63222877-
Jean-Louis Lafosse 1974 1 (0 starts)00000-
Gérard Larrousse 1974 2 (1 start)00000-
Michel Leclère 19751976 8 (7 starts)00000-
Patrick Tambay 19771979, 19811986 123 (114 starts)21110352-
René Arnoux 19781989 165 (149 starts)7221811812-
Didier Pironi 19781982 72 (70 starts)31310145-
Patrick Gaillard 1979 5 (2 starts)00000-
Alain Prost 19801991, 1993 202 (199 starts)51106768.5 (798.5) [22] 33414 (1985, 1986, 1989, 1993)
Jean-Louis Schlesser 1983, 1988 2 (1 start)00000-
Philippe Alliot 19841990, 19931994 116 (109 starts)00700-
François Hesnault 19841985 21 (19 starts)00700-
Philippe Streiff 19841988 55 (53 starts)011100-
Yannick Dalmas 19871990, 1994 49 (24 starts)00000-
Pascal Fabre 1987 14 (11 starts)00700-
Pierre-Henri Raphanel 19881989 17 (1 start)00000-
Jean Alesi 19892001 202 (201 starts)13224124-
Éric Bernard 19891991, 1994 47 (45 starts)011000-
Olivier Grouillard 19891992 62 (41 starts)00100-
Érik Comas 19911994 63 (59 starts)00700-
Paul Belmondo 1992, 1994 27 (7 starts)00000-
Bertrand Gachot 1992, 19941995 43 (32 starts)00100-
Jean-Marc Gounon 19931994 900000-
Franck Lagorce 1994 200000-
Olivier Panis 19941999, 20012004 158 (157 starts)157600-
Jean-Christophe Boullion 1995 1100300-
Stéphane Sarrazin 1999 100000-
Franck Montagny 2006 700000-
Sébastien Bourdais 20082009 2700600-
Romain Grosjean 2009, 20122020 181 (179 starts)01039101-
Charles Pic 20122013 3900000-
Jean-Éric Vergne 20122014 58005100-
Jules Bianchi 20132014 3400200-
Esteban Ocon 20162018, 20202024 141 (141 starts)1342300-
Pierre Gasly 20172024 138 (138 starts)1439503-

Current drivers

In the 2024 Formula One season there are two French drivers, both driving for Alpine.

Pierre Gasly made his debut for Scuderia Toro Rosso at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix. He was then promoted to Red Bull Racing for 2019 after Daniel Ricciardo left the team, before being demoted back to Toro Rosso mid-season. At the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, Gasly became the first French driver to win an F1 race since Olivier Panis in 1996. Esteban Ocon made his debut at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix. As of 2024 he is the most recent race winner, having won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.

See also

Notes

  1. 2 points less than what's shown on StatsF1, [1] since Nano da Silva Ramos is incorrectly listed there as racing under French license while he was actually racing under Brazilian license. [2]
  2. Trintignant got sick before the race at Italy in 1951, and was secretly replaced by Jean Behra. Team principal Amédée Gordini did not inform the race organizers about the switch as it would have cut the team's starting fee. Since the organizers were not informed about the driver change Trintignant was initially credited with the race start and some sources still do. [16] [17]
  3. Behra secretly replaced the unwell Maurice Trintignant for the race of the 1951 Italian Grand Prix. Team principal Amédée Gordini did not inform the race organizers about the switch as it would have cut the team's starting fee. Behra competed in the race but wasn't officially credited with the race start. [19] [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alain Prost</span> French racing driver (born 1955)

Alain Marie Pascal Prost is a French retired racing driver and Formula One team owner. A four-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion, from 1987 until 2001 he held the record for most Grand Prix victories until Michael Schumacher surpassed Prost's total of 51 victories at the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">René Arnoux</span> French racing driver (born 1948)

René Alexandre Arnoux is a French former racing driver who competed in 12 Formula One seasons. He participated in 165 World Championship Grands Prix winning seven of them, achieving 22 podium finishes and scoring 181 career points. His best finish in the World Drivers' Championship was third in 1983 for Ferrari. In 1977, Arnoux won the European Formula Two Championship. In 2006 he raced in the inaugural season of the Grand Prix Masters series for retired F1 drivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 French Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1952 French Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 6 July 1952 at Rouen-Les-Essarts. It was race 4 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. Unusually this race was run over a duration of 3 hours, rather than a fixed distance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1955 Monaco Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1955 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on 22 May 1955. It was race 2 of 7 in the 1955 World Championship of Drivers and was given an honorary name, Grand Prix d'Europe. The 100-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Maurice Trintignant after he started from ninth position. Eugenio Castellotti finished second for the Lancia team and Maserati drivers Jean Behra and Cesare Perdisa came in third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1958 Monaco Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1958 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 18 May 1958 at Monaco. It was race 2 of 11 in the 1958 World Championship of Drivers and race 2 of 10 in the 1958 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race was the 16th Monaco Grand Prix and was held over 100 laps of the three kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 314 kilometres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 South African Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1980 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 1 March 1980 at Kyalami in Gauteng, South Africa. It was the third round of the 1980 Formula One season. The race was the twenty-sixth South African Grand Prix and the fourteenth to be held at Kyalami. The race was held over 78 laps of the 4.104-kilometre circuit for a total race distance of 320 kilometres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Dutch Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1981 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zandvoort on 30 August 1981. It was the twelfth race of the 1981 Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Italian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1981 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 13 September 1981. It was the thirteenth race of the 1981 Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 San Marino Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1985 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Imola on 5 May 1985. It was the third race of the 1985 Formula One World Championship. The 60-lap race was won by local driver Elio de Angelis, driving a Lotus-Renault, after McLaren driver Alain Prost had been disqualified for being underweight. It was de Angelis' second and last win. Thierry Boutsen was second in an Arrows-BMW, with Patrick Tambay third in a factory Renault.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 French Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1985 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on 7 July 1985. It was the seventh race of the 1985 Formula One World Championship. It was the 63rd French Grand Prix and the ninth to be held at Paul Ricard. The race was held over 53 laps of the 5.81-kilometre (3.61 mi) circuit for a total race distance of 307.93 kilometres (191.34 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 Australian Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1986 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 26 October 1986 at the Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide, Australia. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1986 Formula One World Championship. The race decided a three-way battle for the Drivers' Championship between Brit Nigel Mansell, driving a Williams-Honda; his Brazilian teammate Nelson Piquet; and Frenchman Alain Prost, driving a McLaren-TAG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1993 French Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 1993 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Magny-Cours on 4 July 1993. It was the eighth race of the 1993 Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 Formula One World Championship</span> 40th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1986 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 40th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1986 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1986 Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers, both of which commenced on 23 March and ended on 26 October after sixteen races. The Drivers' Championship was won by Alain Prost, Prost was the first driver to win back-to-back Drivers' Championships since Jack Brabham in 1959 and 1960. Together with Prost, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna dominated throughout the season and formed what was dubbed as the "Gang of Four".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1983 Formula One World Championship</span> 37th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1983 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 37th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1983 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1983 Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers, which were contested concurrently over a fifteen-race series that commenced on 13 March and ended on 15 October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Formula One World Championship</span> 35th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1981 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 35th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1981 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1981 Formula One World Championship for Manufacturers, which were contested over a fifteen-race series that commenced on 15 March and ended on 17 October. The 1981 South African Grand Prix, as a non-championship race due to difficulties from the ongoing FISA–FOCA war, was open to Formula One entrants but was not part of the World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 Formula One season</span> 34th season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 1980 Formula One season was the 34th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1980 World Championship of Drivers and the 1980 International Cup for F1 Constructors, which were contested concurrently from 13 January to 5 October over a fourteen-race series. The season also included one non-championship race, the Spanish Grand Prix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1958 Formula One season</span> 12th season of Formula One motor racing

The 1958 Formula One season was the 12th season of Formula One motor racing. It featured the 9th World Championship of Drivers, the first International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and five non-championship Formula One races. The World Championship was contested over eleven races between 19 January and 19 October 1958. The Indianapolis 500 counted towards the Drivers' Championship but not the Manufacturers' Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Didier Pironi</span> French racing driver (1952–1987)

Didier Joseph Louis Pironi was a French racing driver and later power boat racer. During his career, he competed in 72 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, driving for Tyrrell (1978–1979), Ligier (1980) and Ferrari (1981–1982), but his F1 career ended after a practice crash at the 1982 German Grand Prix. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1978 driving a Renault Alpine A442B.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1983 United States Grand Prix West</span> Formula One race

The 1983 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One motor race held on March 27, 1983 at Long Beach, California. It was the second race of the 1983 Formula One World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renault RE40</span> Formula One racing car

The Renault RE40 is a Formula One racing car. It was designed by Michel Têtu — under the direction of Bernard Dudot, and with aerodynamics by Jean-Claude Migeot — as Renault's car for the 1983 Formula One season.

References

  1. "Statistics – Nations – Points – By Number". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  2. Paolozzi, Rémi (27 December 2002). "A Brazilian tune in Paris". 8W.forix.com. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  3. "Drivers". ESPN F1. ESPN EMEA Ltd. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 "Alain Prost". ESPN F1. ESPN EMEA Ltd. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  5. "René Arnoux". ESPN F1. ESPN EMEA Ltd. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  6. "Jacques Laffite". ESPN F1. ESPN EMEA Ltd. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  7. "Didier Pironi". ESPN F1. ESPN EMEA Ltd. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  8. "Patrick Tambay". ESPN F1. ESPN EMEA Ltd. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  9. Williamson, Martin. "Maurice Trintignant". ESPN F1. ESPN EMEA Ltd. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  10. "Drivers: Maurice Trintignant". GrandPrix.com. Inside F1, Inc. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  11. "Patrick Depailler". STATS F1. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  12. "Jean-Pierre Jabouille". STATS F1. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  13. "François Cevert". STATS F1. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  14. "Jean-Pierre Beltoise". STATS F1. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  15. "Big hitters – Button joins the 200-plus club". Formula1.com. Formula One World Championship Limited. July 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  16. "Jean Behra - Biography". MotorSportMagazine. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  17. "Seasons - Italy 1951". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  18. Total of 10 podiums includes both 2nd and 3rd places at the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix
  19. "Jean Behra - Biography". MotorSportMagazine. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  20. "Seasons - Italy 1951". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  21. "Grand Prix of Marocco (1958)". The Formula One Archives..
  22. 1 2 Up until 1990, not all points scored by a driver contributed to their final World Championship tally (see list of points scoring systems for more information). Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.