View source for Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours

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| colspan=2 style="padding:0; background:#333333; color:#fff; border-bottom:1px solid #999;" |[[Image:GrandPrix Circuit France 2006.png|230px]]
|- style="color:#fff; background:darkred; font-size:larger;"
! colspan=2 |'''Circuit de Nevers'''
|-
|Location      || {{flagiconFrance}} [[Magny-Cours]] and [[Nevers]], [[France]] 
|-
|Events        || [[Formula One]]; [[GP2]]; [[Superbike racing|SBK]]; [[Touring car racing|WTCC]] 
|-
|Length km     || 4.411 
|-
|Length mi     || 2.74 
|-
|Turns         || 17 
|-
|Record time   || 1'15.377 
|-
|Record driver || [[Michael Schumacher]] 
|-
|Record team   || [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] 
|-
|Record year   || [[2004]]
|}

'''Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours''' is a [[motor racing]] circuit located in [[France]], near the towns of [[Magny-Cours]] and [[Nevers]]. It is most famous for staging the [[Formula One]] [[French Grand Prix]], which has been held here since 1991. On [[31 May]] 2007, [[Bernie Ecclestone]] initially confirmed that the [[2007 French Grand Prix]] would be the last to be held at Magny Cours, though the release of the 2008 race calendar has confirmed that 2008 French Grand Prix will take place at Magny-Cours. However, Ecclestone has announced in May 2008 that Magny-Cours would not be used from 2009.

==History==
Usually dubbed Magny-Cours, it was built in 1960 by [[Jean Bernigaud]] and was home to the prestigious L'école de pilotage Winfield racing school, which provided such notable drivers as [[François Cevert]] and [[Jacques Laffite]]. However, come the 1980s, the track was in a very bad shape and it wasn't until the [[Nièvre|Regional Conseil de la Nièvre]] bought the track, that international motor racing started to return.

In the 1990s the [[Ligier]] (and, after Ligier was bought, [[Prost (racing team)|Prost]]) Formula One team was based at the circuit and did much of its testing at Magny-Cours.

The track nowadays is a modern, smooth circuit with good facilities for the spectators. Most corners are named after other racing circuits, e.g. the fast [[Autódromo do Estoril|Estoril]] corner and the [[Adelaide Street Circuit|Adelaide]] hairpin. It is a flat circuit, with negligible change in elevation.

[[Image:Mark Webber 2006.jpg|thumb|260px|left|The circuit features several high-speed chicanes with prominent kerbs, such as the ''Imola'' chicane.]]

The circuit doesn't provide a lot of overtaking opportunities, which means the races here are commonly regarded as quite uneventful, with the exception of the recent races in which it rained. Most notable of these races was the [[1999 French Grand Prix|1999 race]], which was interrupted by a downpour. After a restart, most top contenders developed problems, which paved the way for [[Heinz-Harald Frentzen]] to claim a surprising victory in his [[Jordan]].

For the 2003 event, the final corner and chicane were changed in an effort to increase overtaking, with little effect. This did, however, change the approach to strategy at this circuit as it made the pitlane much shorter. Because less time was lost making a pit stop, [[Michael Schumacher]] was able to win the [[2004 French Grand Prix]] using an unprecedented four-stop strategy.

In 2006, the circuit was the scene of more [[Formula One]] history, when [[Michael Schumacher]] became the first driver ever to win any single [[list of Formula One Grands Prix|Grand Prix]] a total of 8 times and at the same circuit.

The 2007 race was to mark the last French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, as the French Grand Prix had been indefinitely suspended from the Formula One calendar.

[[Bernie Ecclestone]] originally confirmed that F1 would not return to Magny-Cours in 2008, instead moving to an alternative location possibly in [[Paris]]. He has since stated that the future of the Magny-Cours circuit is still in negotiations, and that "We're going to maybe resurrect it for a year, or something like that".  The FIA has subsequently confirmed that the 2008 French Grand Prix will take place at Magny-Cours with the release of the official calendar on [[July 27]] [[2007]].

However, in May 2008, Ecclestone confirmed that Magny-Cours will stop hosting the [[French Grand Prix]] after the 2008 race. Ecclestone is looking into the possibility of hosting the French Grand Prix on the streets of [[Paris]]. 


==Past winners==
===[[Formula One]]===
{| border=1 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=4 style="float:center; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:800px; background:#505050; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#505050;"
|- tr BGCOLOR=darkred
! Year
! Driver
! Constructor
! Report
|-
! [[2007 Formula One season|2007]]
| {{flagiconFinland}} [[Kimi Räikkönen]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| [[2007 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[2006 Formula One season|2006]]
| {{flagiconGermany}} [[Michael Schumacher]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| [[2006 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[2005 Formula One season|2005]]
| {{flagiconSpain}} [[Fernando Alonso]]
| [[Renault F1|Renault]]
| [[2005 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[2004 Formula One season|2004]]
| {{flagiconGermany}} [[Michael Schumacher]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| [[2004 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[2003 Formula One season|2003]]
| {{flagiconGermany}} [[Ralf Schumacher]]
| [[WilliamsF1|Williams]]-[[BMW]]
| [[2003 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[2002 Formula One season|2002]]
| {{flagiconGermany}} [[Michael Schumacher]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| [[2002 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[2001 Formula One season|2001]]
| {{flagiconGermany}} [[Michael Schumacher]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| [[2001 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[2000 Formula One season|2000]]
| {{flagiconUK}} [[David Coulthard]]
| [[Team McLaren|McLaren]]-[[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]]
| [[2000 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[1999 Formula One season|1999]]
| {{flagiconGermany}} [[Heinz-Harald Frentzen]]
| [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan]]-[[Mugen Honda]]
| [[1999 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[1998 Formula One season|1998]]
| {{flagiconGermany}} [[Michael Schumacher]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| [[1998 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[1997 Formula One season|1997]]
| {{flagiconGermany}} [[Michael Schumacher]]
| [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]
| [[1997 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[1996 Formula One season|1996]]
| {{flagiconUK}} [[Damon Hill]]
| [[WilliamsF1|Williams]]-[[Renault F1|Renault]]
| [[1996 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[1995 Formula One season|1995]]
| {{flagiconGermany}} [[Michael Schumacher]]
| [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]]-[[Renault F1|Renault]]
| [[1995 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[1994 Formula One season|1994]]
| {{flagiconGermany}} [[Michael Schumacher]]
| [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]]-[[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
| [[1994 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[1993 Formula One season|1993]]
| {{flagiconFrance}} [[Alain Prost]]
| [[WilliamsF1|Williams]]-[[Renault F1|Renault]]
| [[1993 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[1992 Formula One season|1992]]
| {{flagiconUK}} [[Nigel Mansell]]
| [[WilliamsF1|Williams]]-[[Renault F1|Renault]]
| [[1992 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|-
! [[1991 Formula One season|1991]]
| {{flagiconUK}} [[Nigel Mansell]]
| [[WilliamsF1|Williams]]-[[Renault F1|Renault]]
| [[1991 French Grand Prix|Report]]
|}

===[[World Touring Car Championship]]===
{| border=1 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=4 style="float:center; margin:0 0 .5em 1em; width:800px; background:#505050; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #999; font-size:83%; line-height:1.5; " summary="Infobox Automobile"
|- style="text-align:center; background:#505050;"
|- tr BGCOLOR=darkred
! Year
! Race
! Driver
! Team
! Report
|-
! rowspan=2| [[2005 World Touring Car Championship season|2005]]
! 1
| {{flagiconGermany}} [[Jörg Müller]]
| [[Schnitzer Motorsport|BMW Team Germany]]
| rowspan=2| [[2005 World Touring Car Championship Magny-Cours|Report]]
|-
! 2
| {{flagiconGermany}} [[Jörg Müller]]
| [[Schnitzer Motorsport|BMW Team Germany]]
|-
! rowspan=2| [[2006 World Touring Car Championship season|2006]]
! 1
| {{flagiconGermany}} [[Dirk Müller]]
| [[Schnitzer Motorsport|BMW Team Germany]]
| rowspan=2| [[2006 World Touring Car Championship Magny-Cours|Report]]
|-
! 2
| {{flagiconUK}} [[Andy Priaulx]]
| BMW Team UK
|}



==External links==
* [http://www.magnyf1.com/ Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=nevers,france&ll=46.863985,3.165350&spn=0.009956,0.015407&t=k&hl=en Google Maps satellite view of Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours]
* [http://www.geocities.com/ciroalbertopabon/Circuitos_eng.htm Ciro Pabón's Racetracks] 3D views and virtual laps of all F1 circuits, including this one, via Google Earth
* [http://www.f1db.com/f1/page/Circuit_de_Nevers-Magny_Cours Nevers Magny-Cours History and Statistics]
* [http://www.formula1.com/races/in_detail/france_794/circuit_diagram.html Track info from official F1 site]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/circuit_guide/4250889.stm BBC circuit guide]
* [http://www.race-game.org/tracks/magny.htm Track info from race-game.org]

{{Formula One circuits}}
{{WTCC circuits}}
{{MotoGP circuits}}
{{SBK circuits}}

[[Category:World Superbike racing circuits]]
[[Category:Formula One circuits|Magny]]
[[Category:Grand Prix motorcycle racing circuits|Magny]]
[[Category:Motorsport venues in France|Magny]]
[[Category:French Grand Prix|Magny]]