Assessment of the French: Gasly confirms, Grosjean saves a point, Ocon lags behind

Pierre Gasly: 6th

Sixth on the grid after a strong performance in the rain during qualifying, the young Norman controlled his race to finish in the same position after 70 laps. Overtaken by Verstappen at the start, the Toro Rosso driver also benefited from Sainz’s poor start and the Dutchman’s retirement on the sixth lap to take fifth position. The main party was nonetheless disappointed, speaking to Canal+: « my start wasn’t fantastic. I lost a bit of ground at the beginning and I really wanted to overtake Carlos [Sainz]. »

The 2016 GP2 champion made up for it later, temporarily moving up to third position through the pit stop strategy. Delaying his stop, he was logically overtaken by Bottas, Räikkönen, and Ricciardo before changing his tires on lap 32. Coming back out ahead of Alonso and Vandoorne in sixth position, he maintained that place until the finish, though he was still under threat from Magnussen, who pushed him to his limits.

Anyway, beyond the fatigue and the heat, a huge smile was on his face. It was very, very hard, I gave it my all. What’s important is to especially get back the points. It’s an incredible result, especially after the difficulties of the last two races. This result is the best thing that could happen to the team. And for a good reason, Pierre Gasly hadn’t scored points since the Monaco Grand Prix (seventh at the finish)!

A beautiful drive @PierreGASLY!

(He’s just a tad excited) pic.twitter.com/qRxArgEhNB

— Toro Rosso (@ToroRosso) July 29, 2018

With the second-best result of his career under his belt (his fourth place in Sakhir this season remains his benchmark), the Frenchman goes on vacation with peace of mind. The goal for the resumption will likely be to return even more frequently to the top 10. Still difficult aboard a car with frozen development…

Romain Grosjean: 10th

A happy rehearsal for the most experienced of our three Musketeers! For the first time this season, the Haas F1 Team driver secures a top 10 finish in two consecutive races, though with more difficulty than a week ago at Hockenheim. Starting tenth, the former Lotus driver made a notable overtake on Alonso during the first stint, right at the end of the Virtual Safety Car caused by Verstappen’s retirement. Unsanctioned, the Geneva native was the first competitor to pit on lap 29, swapping his ultrasofts for softs.

Going out twelfth on the track, he moved up to the eleventh position thanks to the pit stops, before benefiting from Vandoorne’s retirement on the 49th lap. Romain Grosjean thus secured the tenth place but was held up by the obstacle of Sainz, in his Renault, all the way to the finish.

“My race was frustrating: there was nothing to do!” the driver said at the finish. “It’s still a bit of a shame. The race pace was better than this tenth place. We need to understand how to improve the management of our tires in these circumstances.”

This point for the tenth place does bring joy: the members of his team, who gain five points on Renault during this Hungarian weekend. The Haas F1 Team deals a 7-0 blow to Force India, the team behind them in the constructors’ standings. Romain Grosjean holds onto the positive, and the fact that they were able to get two cars on the track: « we did a great job this weekend! »

The #HungarianGP is over.@KevinMagnussen P7@RGrosjean P10

This is our 2nd double-points result of the season and 4th in team history.@LewisHamilton wins. pic.twitter.com/lnMAFJ5XHK

— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) July 29, 2018

Esteban Ocon: 13th

Clouds gather above the garage of the native of Evreux. Now part of a bankrupt team, the Mercedes protégé also struggled this weekend on the Hungarian track. “Deprived of brakes” in Q1 on Saturday, the Force India driver attempted a management strategy on his first stint, stopping only on the 41st lap. In the top 10 at the time of his stop, Esteban Ocon couldn’t do much towards the end of the race. Rejoining in fifteenth behind Sergio Pérez, he did pass his teammate on the 44th lap. A small consolation for a thirteenth-place finish.

« I knew the challenge was going to be difficult. It was a tough race for us. We didn’t have enough pace to climb up from the back of the grid and score points. »

Seeing the glass half full in turn, Esteban Ocon is already satisfied with having battled with his opponents, while knowing where the problem lies.

« I still had a great battle with the two Renaults. But the problems in qualifying determined our place today. Everyone now deserves some rest, so we can arrive in top form at Spa-Francorchamps. »

Let’s now hope for him that the arrival in Belgium will take place in calmer waters on the administrative side.

After a good first half of the season, it’s time to recharge the batteries and come back stronger on the 2nd half😎!
Après une bonne première partie de saison, c’est l’heure de recharger les batteries pour revenir plus fort😎! #EO31 pic.twitter.com/Nzke0gh1A5

— Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) 29 juillet 2018

And at mid-season, our little update on the drivers’ overall standings shows that the suspense for the “best Frenchman” title is at its peak! Not to forget the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, in fifteenth place, with 13 points.