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Although there hasn't been a French winner in Formula 1 for over 20 years, the impact and influence the nation has had on the pinnacle of motorsport are irreplaceable. Motor racing began in the French Republic in the late 19th century and the first Grand Prix, (which literally translated to Grand Prize in English) took place in 1906 in the same nation.
The French GP was run almost every year aside from the war years and was on the inaugural F1 calendar in 1950. The race has moved around venues around the country over the decades and been one of the most frequent Grands Prix on the calendar, only five countries have hosted more races.
In addition, there have been some rapid drivers and mighty teams to have come out of France and succeed in Formula 1, and here are five of the best pilots from the Western European country.
#5 Jules Bianchi
This was an incredibly difficult one to pick. Jean Behra was a driver that was robbed of his best motor racing years by the Second World War and was incredibly quick, despite never winning an F1 race. Rene Arnoux also won seven Grands Prix during his career, but the fifth spot on this list goes to someone who shone in a very slow car.
When Sebastian Vettel won the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix, he famously stated that Jules Bianchi would've been in the Ferrari "sooner or later", and it's hard to disagree with the German. Bianchi only competed in two F1 seasons, but he left a lasting impression on everybody.
The Frenchman drove for Marussia during his whole career but had come through the Ferrari driver academy, being the first driver to be signed onto the programme. The Marussia wasn't a competitive car, in fact, it was probably the slowest on the grid during 2013 and '14.
However, that didn't stop Jules from finishing in the top ten, crossing the line eighth at the Monaco Grand Prix. A penalty demoted him to ninth, but this was the team's only ever points haul.
A tragic crash at that year's Japanese GP curtailed what was promising to be a superb career, as Bianchi became Formula 1's first fatality for over 20 years. Had Bianchi lived past his 25 years, it would've been fascinating to see how he'd stack up against Vettel and perhaps Charles Leclerc too. We've been robbed of that scenario, but we should be thankful that we got to witness an immense talent competing.
Jules Bianchi remains Formula 1's most recent, and hopefully last, fatality during a Grand Prix. If Gasly improves his performances, a spot on this list could be his in the future, but that remains to be seen.
#4 François Cevert
Like Bianchi, François Cevert was a driver whose career was cut short in tragic circumstances. Cevert was Sir Jackie Stewart's hand-picked successor at the Tyrrell team and was mentored by the Flying Scotsman during the early 1970s.
The handsome Parisian finished in third place overall during his first full season of F1 racing in 1971, winning his only Grand Prix at the final race that year in the USA. In addition to being fast, Cevert was also a gentleman; when Stewart made a mistake at Zandvoort in 1973, Cevert didn't pass his teammate, despite having a clear opportunity to do so.
When Stewart asked why he did not, Cevert replied that he felt that it was unfair and wanted to overtake his teammate on merit, a level of respect we don't see today.
One victory may not seem that impressive, but Cevert was back-up to Stewart's title-winning campaigns in '71 and '73 and would've gone on to have more success had he made it to 1974.
When judging drivers, the opinions of the true greats have to be considered and Sir Jackie rated Cevert very highly. Sadly - as was common in this era - Cevert passed away at the end of the '73 season due to a tragic accident at Watkins Glen, the site of his only win two years prior, he was only 29-years-old.
#3 Jean Alesi
In terms of raw natural talent, there aren't many drivers that can match Jean Alesi. The French-Sicilian is one of many drivers to have succeeded at Ferrari and could've easily been a world champion had he made better choices when it came to his teams.
Alesi thrilled us all during the 1990 season when he took an average Tyrrell car to the podium twice and put up an incredible fight against Ayrton Senna at Phoenix. Those performances earned him a call from Williams, but he opted for Ferrari, just at a time when the Scuderia really began to struggle from 1991. Alesi stood on the podium 32 times and like Cevert, only won once, but that far from tells the whole story.
John Watson summed up Alesi well while commentating on him in the 90s, stating that Alesi would've achieved more had he been around in the 50s, as cars were more raw and pure back then. Alesi's car control was superb, he pushed the limits beyond what was possible for most and could ring every second out of his vehicle.
The reason why he's not higher on this list is because Alesi did make mistakes when the pressure was on, on occasion, which cost him wins and more podiums. With his son now racing in F2, the Alesi name could be back in Formula 1 sooner than later.
#2 Didier Pironi
Didier Pironi's Formula 1 career was short, sweet and ended very bittersweet. The Paris native only competed in five F1 seasons but he left a lasting impact and like Alesi, could've easily been a world champion.
Pironi stood on the podium for the first time in his second season in 1979 for Tyrrell before claiming his first win the following year and earning a drive at Ferrari. 1981 was Ferrari's worst ever season - the car wasn't competitive - but '82 was a much better year and one in which Pironi would've been champion had fate not been so cruel.
Despite the passing of his bitter rival and teammate Gilles Villeneuve earlier in the season, Pironi led the driver's championship after 11 of the 16 rounds. An accident at the Hockenheimring ended his career but despite this, he only finished five points behind Keke Rosberg in the standings, less than the points earned for a second-placed finished.
It's fair to say that had that accident not occurred, Pironi would've become the first French F1 champion in 1982.
#1 Alain Prost
The top spot on this list could only have ever belonged to this man.
Alain Prost is the only Frenchman to have won a Formula 1 driver's championship and The Professor achieved this four times. To put that into perspective, only Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio and Lewis Hamilton have more world titles to their names and only these three men and Sebastian Vettel have more GP victories.
Prost is one of those drivers that always seemed to be challenging at the sharp end, despite sometimes not being in the fastest car. The best example of this is his 1986 title win, where he beat both Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell being in much faster Williams cars.
Consistency was the aim of Prost's game, with over 100 podiums to his name in an era when reliability was much worse than today. In addition to his four title wins, he also finished runner-up as many times, with the aforementioned reliability (especially during his Renault days) costing him a fifth crown.
Simply put, Prost is one of the best drivers ever and some say the greatest, as he won races and challenged for driver's championships at Renault, McLaren, Ferrari and Williams.
Is Prost the best F1 driver from France or does someone else get your number 1 spot? Let us know in the comments below!
