France: The Hits and the Misses of the Newsroom

The Top 3

Hamilton, untouchable!

After two rather difficult Grand Prix for the Briton in Monaco and Canada, Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes has regained its dominance, likely due to the significant engine upgrade introduced this weekend in France.

Untouchable during the practice sessions and in qualifying, Hamilton turned his pole position into an easy victory, without real competition after the chaos of the first corner caused behind him by an optimistic Sebastian Vettel at the first braking.

As a result, Hamilton takes back the lead in the world drivers’ championship… only to never let it go? We know the Briton’s ability to string together victories, and the next Grand Prix in Austria could very well be favorable for Mercedes once again. With Valtteri Bottas out of the title race, Hamilton should have a clear path within the German team to fulfill his ambitions.

Magnifique!! 🇫🇷 It’s an amazing feeling winning here. I feel very grateful for a solid weekend. Huge thanks to every single person at the Team for always pushing the boundaries and never giving up. I want to thank each and every one of them 🙏🏾⚡️ #FrenchGP @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/8rIFH9BKTq

— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) 24 juin 2018

Renault shines in front of its home crowd and secures 4th place in the championship!

For a long time 3rd at the start of the race, taking advantage of the first lap collisions, Carlos Sainz thrilled the Renault grandstand located on the start/finish straight.

Unable to do anything against the three major teams, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull, the Spaniard thought he could reach the finish line in 6th place, ahead of the struggling Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. But an engine problem in the last 3 laps pushed him back to 8th position.

Nevertheless, Renault achieved a good group finish with Nico Hülkenberg in 9th place, feeling buoyed by a crowd entirely supportive of the Yellows. The German didn’t miss the opportunity to pay tribute, warmly greeting the stands after stepping out of his car.

Thanks to these few points gained at home, Renault consolidates its 4th place in the constructors’ championship and pulls ahead of McLaren, who were completely at a loss this weekend.

Finished P9 at Circuit Paul Ricard..
Special thanks to the home crowd making the comeback of the #FrenchGP very unique!✌🏼🇫🇷@RenaultSportF1 pic.twitter.com/ac1JiyLhvp

— Nico Hülkenberg (@HulkHülkenberg) 24 juin 2018

Magnussen, a welcome consistency for Haas

The antics of his teammate contrast with the efficiency of his championship. Quietly, “K-Mag” is building the best start to a season of his career. The Dane clinches his third Top 6 finish after a fifth place in Bahrain and a sixth in Spain. The former Renault driver managed to escape the chaos at the start, despite an exaggerated pass on the asphalt runoff, which was not flagged by the stewards. Climbing to fifth, Magnussen then capitalized with a good strategy, running his Ultra Soft tires until the 28th lap before switching to Softs. He then made a noteworthy overtake on Vandoorne, before holding off Bottas to secure sixth place. Criticized at the start of the season for his aggressiveness, Magnussen nevertheless continues to bring points for the Haas F1 Team, single-handedly.

Amazing race today!! 💪🏻 8 more points in the bank 👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/BUS0NS4gVD

— Kevin Magnussen (@KevinMagnussen) June 24, 2018

The Flop 3

The French trio…

What a disappointment for the French public to see its three compatriots hang on from the first round! A fatal round for Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, who did not make it past the entrance of the Sainte Baume corner. Just a few meters and that’s it for the two men who aren’t blaming each other but mention racing circumstances.

Esteban Ocon, however, is much more critical of Romain Grosjean, accusing him of an unexpected steering maneuver at the start, for which the Haas driver will eventually be penalized by the race officials. But the damage was already done, and no French driver ended up in the points for their first national Grand Prix, with Grosjean finishing in a disappointing 11th position, far behind his teammate Kevin Magnussen, who placed an impressive 6th.

The performances of the Franco-Swiss driver have been erratic throughout the weekend, and at this stage of the season, he remains the only driver alongside Sergey Sirotkin who has not yet scored any points in the championship… concerning!

Gasly and Ocon were therefore unable to demonstrate their abilities on a track they found exciting. See you next year with the hope of having more success.

Not exactly what you hope for at your first home Grand Prix 😭

Gaslyy and Ocon were eliminated on the spot on the opening lap#FrenchGP 🇫🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/d0djVfOKwl

— Formula 1 (@F1) 24 juin 2018

Sebastian Vettel’s “brain fade” at the first corner

But what could possibly be going on in Sebastian Vettel’s head from time to time? Even Lewis Hamilton wonders: « It’s weird, because he slowed down and was going to take the turn, but it’s like he stopped thinking because he went straight, or maybe he lost downforce, I don’t know. »

Good sportsmanship, the German still admitted his mistake: “I lost the car in the first corner and unfortunately Valtteri tried to regain his position and I hit him. It’s a shame for him because he really didn’t do anything wrong and for us because we could have done better.”

Despite everything, after his mistake at the restart during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the streets of Baku, this new excess of optimism is starting to cost big points in the championship for the German and his team. The nervousness of the four-time world champion, in the midst of a fight for the world title, is obviously his weak point. He now knows what he needs to work on to improve his situation, especially since his comeback in the race clearly shows that the potential is there!

Ready to change the nose #FrenchGP #Seb5 pic.twitter.com/CosWhG2CQe

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) 24 juin 2018

McLaren, again!

Negative spiral for the Woking team. Third consecutive Grand Prix outside the points… and new presence in our flops, after Canada. The team sabotaged itself right from Saturday, not making it past Q1, a first this season. The race wasn’t more dazzling, Alonso and Vandoorne couldn’t fight for points in a race marked by the retirement of both Force Indias. The Spaniard again showed signs of frustration during the race… The Le Mans 24 hours winner reassured himself: by claiming to “beat the most talented young driver of recent years”… Verstappen, Ocon, Leclerc? No, Vandoorne! On his side, the Belgian still couldn’t outpace the penalized Haas of Grosjean and has only eight points to his name. Left behind by Renault in the constructors’ standings, McLaren will soon have to look in the rearview mirror: Force India and Haas could quickly threaten the English team’s fifth place.

From our special correspondent in Le Castellet