Circuit Paul Ricard: The first circuit of the 3rd millenium - "Given the objectives we had set ourselves to create a totally new kind of circuit, we had to be original in the way we thought; there was nothing to copy, as there was no other circuit in the world that provided a model for what we wanted" announces Philippe Gurdjian, President of the circuit. The original circuit, created by Paul Ricard in 1970, was the setting for many national and international motor sports competitions including 14 Formula 1 Grand Prix. "Today, the new Paul Ricard – High Tech Test Track is the first circuit forthe 3rd millennium. Everything about it is new, we made no compromises. Everything has been designed for maximum safety of the drivers, to bring back the true pleasure of driving, and to optimise the quality, and therefore the usefulness, of the data on and from the track,all in an environment that is comfortable for the teams and sponsors alike.