French Grand Prix – The best/worst of the editorial team

After this rather lively French Grand Prix, here is the editorial team's opinion on the three best performances of the weekend, and the three biggest disappointments.

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Rédigé par Par

Contrary to what everyone feared, action and twists were plentiful for this third edition of the French Grand Prix at the Paul-Ricard circuit under the new F1 era.

The TOP 3

1. Red Bull remains at the top of the hierarchy

The Red Bull, Honda, Verstappen, Perez quartet was imperial in France. The only thing missing from their impressive record is the first free practice session. The whole team is full of confidence. The chassis designed by Adrian Newey has been at the top for years, but this year it is well assisted by a devilishly efficient, and apparently reliable, Honda engine.

Max Verstappen has gained in maturity and management while keeping his speed. He is the driver of the moment.

To finish, Sergio Perez is doing an amazing job to tame his RB16B. Something that no second driver since Verstappen has managed to do. The connection is perfect, and the aggressive strategy comes to crown, rightfully, a team as efficient as it is united.

2. George Russell confirms as a top driver

Almost all world champion drivers initially stood out at the wheel of a back-of-the-grid or midfield single-seater. Alonso at Minardi, Vettel at Toro Rosso, Räikkönen at Sauber, Schumacher at Jordan, the list is long.

In France, the English driver pulled off a perfect race. With complete control, he managed to bring his Williams to the edge of the points in 12th position. On a demanding track with few overtaking opportunities, solely on the strength of his talent, he qualified 14th and overtook two other cars. By setting the 13th fastest lap in the race, he confirms that his race was complete. A future great talent to whom we must allow to express all his talent at the front.

3. Pierre Gasly, the hope of a nation

At the wheel of his modest AlphaTauri, Pierre Gasly continues to prove the full extent of his talent. He brings his car back in 7th place, which is today and without incident at the front of the race, the best result he can hope for in the race. Brilliant 6th in qualifying, he leads an intelligent race to bring big points to his team.

Contrary to his teammate, rookie Tsunoda who is experiencing a series of disappointments, Pierre Gasly is putting together consistent races. He also deserves a top seat in the race. Something that no French driver has been able to claim since Jean Alesi at Ferrari and Benetton.

The Flop 3

The Mercedes clan

Since 2014, Mercedes has never faced real external competition. Ferrari could barely compete in a few races. Today, the situation has changed and we see that the Germans are making more mistakes than usual.

In France, the strategy turned out to be too conservative, leading the team to a new defeat. Double defeat in this case, as by wanting to overly protect Lewis Hamilton, the team sabotaged Valtteri Bottas’ race and offered a podium to Sergio Perez, in addition to helping Max Verstappen win.

For the past three races, the clan led by Toto Wolff has been unable to find the keys to success, is the negative spiral underway?

Is Kimi Räikkönen losing speed?

We knew that the Finn was holding back during the standing start exercise. But in France, he was also in a retreat during the race. No position gained even though he started from 17th place. His 10th time concerning the best laps in the race proves that the Alfa Romeo is fast.

Simple stroke of bad luck like in qualifying with Mick Schumacher’s accident that probably cost him his passage to Q2? Or a definitive loss of pace, where all his experience allowed him until now to play relatively well compared to his teammate?

A complicated end of the season for Ferrari?

The good results of the two previous races, even though atypical, made us dream of a Scuderia that could fight for the final podium with McLaren. The French Grand Prix is a harsh return to reality.

The Reds are struggling with tire exploitation issues and have not been able to solve this problem. It is impossible in these conditions to think of a solution. The other bad news for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz is that Ferrari’s management announced on the sidelines of the French round that the Scuderia is stopping the development of the SF1 to focus on 2022 and the rule changes. The rest of their season is likely to remind them of the bitter taste of the 2020 campaign.

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