A brief history of French Formula 1 drivers and a champion

France has a long-standing tradition of Formula 1 history but unfortunately, it looks set to be an uncertain future for the sport following the news that the French Grand Prix will not be included on the F1 schedule for the foreseeable future

Instead it makes way for new additional events in Las Vegas, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

However, the country continues to churn out exciting stars on the grid, and that is evident in the fact that 74 drivers have represented the country in F1 throughout the history of the sport. But, who are some of the most successful drivers from the country, and which French drivers will be on the grid in 2023?

France F1 Overview

To date, there have been 74 French drivers that have lined up in an F1 race. That has seen a French driver involved in the 947 Grand Prix to date, with four world championships having been won by a Frenchman. In total, France has produced 81 race winners, 308 podiums, and 79 pole positions. That leads to a total of 3473.47 points being scored by drivers from the country.

Alain Prost

The most successful French driver in history remains Alain Prost. The Frenchman won a staggering four championships throughout his career, with his first coming back in 1985. However, it was his fierce rivalry with Ayrton Senna that captivated the imagination of fans across the world, with both doing everything that they could to win races. The two famously joined forces at McLaren in 1988 and clashed on a number of occasions.

Most famously at the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix, which enabled Prost to win a third world championship. After a brief sabbatical, Prost returned to the sport in 1993, joining Williams. It would be a historic return to the grid for the Frenchman, as he would land a fourth world championship, before retiring shortly after.

Rene Arnoux

Prost remains the only French driver to have won the drivers’ championship, but Rene Arnoux remains a popular competitor to have represented the country in F1. He began his career with F2 in 1974, before making the jump into F1 in 1978 to join Martini. Despite a disappointing first season in F1, he impressed at stints with Martini and Surtees. In 1979, he joined the recently established Renault team. The team claimed a win on their return to the track, but Arnoux needed to wait until the 1980 season for his maiden success.

That opening victory came at the Brazilian Grand Prix before he added a second race win just a few weeks later in South Africa. Arnoux joined Ferrari in 1983, and he immediately entered calculations for a world title challenge after victories in the Canadian, German, and Dutch Grand Prix. However, he eventually finished third after an engine failure saw him retire in the season-ending South African Grand Prix.

Jacques Laffite

Jacques Laffite competed in F1 between 1974 and 1986 and gained an excellent reputation for being one of the most talented drivers on the grid. The Frenchman made his first start in the sport for Frank Williams’ Iso-Malboro in 1974, before joining the Williams team to take second in the German Grand Prix the following season.

However, much of his career success would be achieved with Ligier, as he scored 20 points and a pole position in the 1976 season. His first race win finally arrived in 1977, as he claimed victory in the Swedish Grand Prix.

Laffite would emerge as a title contender in the 1979 season after winning the opening two races. However, the season would fall apart in the final three rounds, and he eventually needed to settle for fourth in the classifications.

The Frenchman’s final race win came in 1981 at the Canadian Grand Prix, before he retired from the sport in 1986 following serious leg injuries suffered at the British Grand Prix.

Current French F1 Drivers

There are currently two French drivers on the grid for the 2023 season, and both will be representing Alpine in the upcoming season. However, neither driver has high odds to win the Drivers’ Championship in 2023 according to French sportsbook sites such as jouerenlignefr.org. Esteban Ocon is slightly more successful, as he has already landed one victory in F1. That success came at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021. He has made 111 stars in F1 to date and has earned 364 career points.

In 2023, Ocon will be joined by compatriot Pierre Gasly at Alpine. Gasly has also recorded a single F1 race win to this point, with his maiden victory coming at the Italian Grand Prix in 2020. He has taken the fastest lap on three occasions from 108 race starts and has accumulated 332 career points.

Final Thoughts

The future of French F1 appears bright at present, as there will be two talented drivers from the country competing in 2023. However, there is still a sense that we may still be a while away from a French driver winning a world championship title.