Once the 1971 Calendar was published last winter there was never any doubt left in anyone’s mind as to where this year’s French GP was to be held. The organisation of the new Circuit Paul Ricard took over the publicity of the event and made a splendid job of it and since the Spring, there has been continuous publicity telling us to come to the Circuit Paul Ricard for the World Championship of Formula One; they almost entirely forgot to mention that it was the French Grand Prix that was going to take place, such is the seriousness of the new regime in French sporting circles. It was as bad as being told to attend the Woolmark Grand Prix at Silverstone, when the RAC Meant the British Grand Prix!
However, I digress, and everyone went to the arid wastes of the Castellet area, not far from Marseilles, where Mr Ricard the alcohol millionaire has spent some of his millions on an enormous edifice with his name on the front, which forms the nerve centre of a motor speedway laid out in the form of a road circuit. Over the past months almost everyone in Grand Prix racing had been to this new circuit, opened last year, practising, experimenting, and generally thrashing round its flat, featureless 5.8 kilometres of newly-laid tarmac road, Gold Leaf Team Lotus being about the only exception.
Most teams were still practising, or testing during the early part of race week, so that when official practice began at around mid-day on Friday, to continue for 2 1/2 hours, it seemed that it would be a mere formality for sorting out grid positions. Everyone was present except the McLaren team whose Ford van had broken down at Lyons. Team Lotus had but two cars, the two Lotus 72D models for Fittipaldi and WiseII, the former driver fit to drive once more, but with his rib-cage still firmly bandaged. The Ferrari team were also running only two drivers, Ickx and Regazzoni, as Andretti was competing in a high-speed USAC race on the super-speedway at Pocono in the United States. This meant that while Ickx and Regazonni had their usual 1971 cars, the third car of the 312B/2 series could be a stand-by for Ickx.
