Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is a historic racing venue in rural France, decorated with rich Formula One history. Despite its precessional reputation, this circuit is still fantastic fun to drive, and you can experience it through the wonders of sim racing with an Assetto Corsa mod available here on OverTake.gg.
Built in 1960, Magny-Cours is a picturesque racing circuit in the French countryside. It sounds lovely, but logistically, it was and still is an absolute nightmare to get to and from. For example, ensuring Formula One teams got to the circuit was always a real struggle, with the facilities and location offering far below what a championship like Formula One demands.
Mark Webber driving for Williams, 2006. Image: cobber_cpd on Flickr via CC BY-SA 2.0
The circuit held the Formula One French Grand Prix between 1991 and 2008 and the famous motorbike endurance race, the Bol d'Or, from the year 2000 until 2015, when the event was moved to the much more modern Circuit, Circuit Paul Ricard.
If you were to ask a 1990s or 2000s Formula One fan which Grand Prix they were looking forward to the most, you would be hard-pressed to find a candidate that would have said the French Grand Prix. In the eyes of Formula One fans, Magny-Cours was always seen as a bit of a black sheep. Race director Bernie Ecclestone eventually canned the event at the end of the 2008 season with the assistance of the unhappy French Motorsports Federation.
Ferrari F2004 flying through the first chicane at Magny-Cours
The event was often processional outside of when the weather caused havoc, like in 1999 when Eddie Jordon's hornet yellow Jordon machine, piloted by Heinz-Harold Frentzen, found its way to the podium's top step. However, Michael Schumacher would make history at the French misfit circuit with a record-breaking eight wins at the venue. His record would eventually be broken by Lewis Hamilton, who, after his emotional 2024 victory, has nine Silverstone British Grand Prix wins to his name.
Following Formula One's departure, the circuit remained well-kept and maintained for other racing series, such as the GT World Challenge and the French Porsche Carrera Cup. Historic racing is also prevalent, although only the post-2003 facelift version of the circuit is currently available.
Historic lineup of Ford GT40s at Magny-Cours in Ma, 2024. Image: Gilbert Sopakuwa on Flickr via CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
The circuit's surroundings are a bit lacklustre, with no crowd or real outside attraction apart from the circuit itself. This may be a good thing for some people, especially if you are running the game for FPS instead of visual appeal.
Ferrari F2004, final corner at Magny-Cours
This could potentially break the immersion factor a little bit, especially in VR, but considering the track feels good and consistent to drive, it's a sacrifice that could be worth making. It would be great to see more trackside additions like pit lorries and the aforementioned crow in the future.
The kerbs feel great, and the force feedback feels fantastic. You can tell that this mod has been refined over the years to get to this point. This version of the track is undoubtedly a winner; the 2025 version is a great track to add to your collection if you need that slightly left-of-field track pick that can still emulate the likes of the early 2000s whilst offering a modern-day layout.
2007 McLaren running wide at the second hairpin
Mod creator chilenaoexiste updates this track each year, with it originally coming out in 2021. Here is the complete list of everything he has changed for this new 2025 variation. Check out the track for yourself here on OverTake.gg.
What do you think of the Magny-Cours circuit? Does it deserve the processional reputation it has had for so many years? Let us know in the comments down below!
Built in 1960, Magny-Cours is a picturesque racing circuit in the French countryside. It sounds lovely, but logistically, it was and still is an absolute nightmare to get to and from. For example, ensuring Formula One teams got to the circuit was always a real struggle, with the facilities and location offering far below what a championship like Formula One demands.
Mark Webber driving for Williams, 2006. Image: cobber_cpd on Flickr via CC BY-SA 2.0
The circuit held the Formula One French Grand Prix between 1991 and 2008 and the famous motorbike endurance race, the Bol d'Or, from the year 2000 until 2015, when the event was moved to the much more modern Circuit, Circuit Paul Ricard.
If you were to ask a 1990s or 2000s Formula One fan which Grand Prix they were looking forward to the most, you would be hard-pressed to find a candidate that would have said the French Grand Prix. In the eyes of Formula One fans, Magny-Cours was always seen as a bit of a black sheep. Race director Bernie Ecclestone eventually canned the event at the end of the 2008 season with the assistance of the unhappy French Motorsports Federation.
Ferrari F2004 flying through the first chicane at Magny-Cours
The event was often processional outside of when the weather caused havoc, like in 1999 when Eddie Jordon's hornet yellow Jordon machine, piloted by Heinz-Harold Frentzen, found its way to the podium's top step. However, Michael Schumacher would make history at the French misfit circuit with a record-breaking eight wins at the venue. His record would eventually be broken by Lewis Hamilton, who, after his emotional 2024 victory, has nine Silverstone British Grand Prix wins to his name.
Following Formula One's departure, the circuit remained well-kept and maintained for other racing series, such as the GT World Challenge and the French Porsche Carrera Cup. Historic racing is also prevalent, although only the post-2003 facelift version of the circuit is currently available.
Historic lineup of Ford GT40s at Magny-Cours in Ma, 2024. Image: Gilbert Sopakuwa on Flickr via CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Driving Magny-Cours in Assetto Corsa
This version of Magny-Cours does a great job at bringing the modern-day circuit to Assetto Corsa. The AI can race side by side with you for the majority of the lap; however, in something with a lot of power and aero, like a semi-modern Formula One car, they can start to struggle to keep it on the black stuff.The circuit's surroundings are a bit lacklustre, with no crowd or real outside attraction apart from the circuit itself. This may be a good thing for some people, especially if you are running the game for FPS instead of visual appeal.
Ferrari F2004, final corner at Magny-Cours
This could potentially break the immersion factor a little bit, especially in VR, but considering the track feels good and consistent to drive, it's a sacrifice that could be worth making. It would be great to see more trackside additions like pit lorries and the aforementioned crow in the future.
The kerbs feel great, and the force feedback feels fantastic. You can tell that this mod has been refined over the years to get to this point. This version of the track is undoubtedly a winner; the 2025 version is a great track to add to your collection if you need that slightly left-of-field track pick that can still emulate the likes of the early 2000s whilst offering a modern-day layout.
2007 McLaren running wide at the second hairpin
Mod creator chilenaoexiste updates this track each year, with it originally coming out in 2021. Here is the complete list of everything he has changed for this new 2025 variation. Check out the track for yourself here on OverTake.gg.
What do you think of the Magny-Cours circuit? Does it deserve the processional reputation it has had for so many years? Let us know in the comments down below!
