France: The Perspectives for the Race, the Essential Tire Management

The Hamilton vs Bottas battle

Clearly frustrated with his second-place time in qualifying, Valtteri Bottas knows he’s at a turning point in the season. Both from a points perspective and mentally, his English teammate is regaining supremacy within the team. The Finnish driver will have to do everything he can to try to take the victory from his rival and teammate if he wants to maintain a chance at the title at the end of the season.

Like a steamroller, Lewis Hamilton crushed his teammate in qualifying and will not be lenient towards him in the race, eternally hungry for victory.

With similar single-seaters, the battle is predicted in advance if no racing incident occurs at the start.

At stake in this battle is much more than a point difference; it’s a roadmap for the rest of the season.

Leclerc in search of opportunism

After acknowledging the superiority of the Mercedes in qualifying, the young Monegasque knows that the task will be tough in the race, as their Friday stints were on a different pace than the Silver Arrows. Pragmatic, the Ferrari driver knows he can, on the other hand, make the most of a good start or a race event. The top speed of the Ferraris gives him a real defensive advantage in the race.

He will have to play the opportunist from the start while limiting the risk-taking.

Vettel’s comeback

Author of the 7th fastest time in qualifying, the German clearly delivered an underperformance. Equipped with a formidable Ferrari on the straight, the Ferrari driver should probably be able to overtake the McLarens and the Red Bulls during the race. However, hoping to reach the top 3 seems unlikely without the intervention of the Safety Car.

Back against the wall in the championship race, Sebastian Vettel will have to try everything to keep hope alive for a comeback in the second half of the season.

Red Bull and Verstappen lurking

Always performing, the Dutch driver will undoubtedly be aiming for the podium in this race.

Still equipped, unlike his teammate, with a set of new medium tires in addition to his worn set, Max Verstappen will be able to attempt a move depending on strategies and race events. Performing and fierce, there’s no doubt that the Red Bull driver won’t give up anything.

A delicate tire management

After the various testing sessions, it was observed that the soft tires did not hold on the hot Var tarmac. Graining is significant and grip quickly degrades. With even higher temperatures expected this Sunday, there’s no doubt the red-sidewall tires will need to be managed well during the race. With a very limited stock of medium tires, teams will have to manage the worn sets while attempting to optimize the soft tires, which are much more numerous in their stocks, as well as the hard ones for the long stints.

The drivers will have to adopt a smooth driving style while watching their backs.

The situation seems more concerning for some drivers such as Ricciardo, Hülkenberg, Gasly, and Norris, in particular, as they only have one set of used medium tires. Their strategies will rely on the durability of the mediums and the competitiveness of the hard tires.

The 🍩s still available!#FrenchGP #Pirelli #Fit4F1
More info: https://t.co/vu7QMTbkxE pic.twitter.com/D1Y4cL9rPY

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) 22 juin 2019

Renault, double or nothing

Ambitious arrival at Le Castellet, the French team has only one driver in Q3, namely Ricciardo. With only one set of worn medium tires per driver, the French team is not in an ideal position for the hunt for points and will have to combine tire management with defense on the track.

Remains to be seen if the long race stints under the intense Provencal heat will update tire wear as the laps go by.

When McLaren disrupts the six-way fight

Astonishing in qualifying, the McLaren drivers were able to disrupt the usual top 6, relegating Sebastian Vettel behind them.

Clearly aiming for a big haul of points, the English single-seaters seem to be in their best form in a long time and will have to manage the battle with the Red Bull and perhaps defend their position against a Vettel destined for a swift comeback.

After scoring the try, the Woking firm must now convert it to derive great satisfaction from this weekend.

Today’s the big one. Locking the 3rd row out with @Carlossainz55. We’ll give it a good go and see where we are at the flag 🥛 #FrenchGP pic.twitter.com/soPyJz5udC

— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) 23 juin 2019

The strategies announced by Pirelli

The Italian manufacturer announces two strategies for this Grand Prix.

The first, announced as the fastest, plans for a single stop around laps 22 to 27 to switch to hard tires after starting on medium tires.

The use of soft tires after a pit stop and starting on hard tires seems unlikely but is not impossible for some drivers eager to make a bold move.

The second strategy, considered slower, involves making two pit stops. This means starting on soft tires for a stop five or eight laps later, before switching to medium tires and finishing on another set of mediums, with the second stop scheduled around laps 22-25.

🍩 Strategy 🔮.#Fit4F1 🏎 #FrenchGP 🇫🇷 #Pirelli pic.twitter.com/fyYMmdj0P5

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) 23 juin 2019