The 2022 French Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Lenovo Grand Prix de France 2022) is a Formula One motor race held on 24 July 2022 at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France. The event takes place across the weekend of 22–24 July, during the 2022 European heatwaves. It is the twelfth round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship. Max Verstappen leads the Drivers' Championship by 38 points from Charles Leclerc, with Sergio Pérez third, a further 19 points behind. Red Bull Racing leads the Constructors' Championship, leading Ferrari by 56 points and Mercedes by 122 points. Going into the race with two consecutive wins for Ferrari and a solid qualifying performance that sees him in pole position, championship challenger Charles Leclerc and Ferrari are favored for the win, which would reduce their arrears to the championship leader and title holder Max Verstappen. A few days after the previous Austrian Grand Prix, in a meeting of the technical advisory committee, with the Federation, Formula 1, and the technical directors of the teams present, it is reaffirmed with determination the commitment to reduce as much as possible the issue of car bouncing on the straights, known as porpoising. During the meeting, it is made clear that although the problem appears to have been reduced in the last few races, it must be considered that those races took place on circuits where this effect was lower than average. In the coming months, races are expected in which the effect is anticipated to be more significant again; although the teams are increasingly understanding how to keep the problem under control, the trend for 2023, with cars developing even more downforce, will likely worsen the oscillations.
The short-term measures taken for the Belgian Grand Prix, scheduled for the end of August, are not considered necessarily a long-term solution to the problem. The metric that quantifies vertical oscillations must remain below the prescribed values. The teams are using this metric already in this Grand Prix to understand the implications for the setup of their cars. During the meeting, an agreement is reached between the teams and the Federation to tighten load tests on the roll bar, following the serious incident involving the Chinese driver of Alfa Romeo, Zhou Guanyu, in the British Grand Prix, in which this component collapsed upon impact with the asphalt after the car flipped. The Federation is also preparing to strengthen procedures to ensure that the floor deformation complies with the regulations. The intent is to reinforce the current verification procedures on a component whose deformation on previous cars was less influential, and whose control tests were not free from imperfections. The main points are the raising of the lateral edges of the car floor by 25 mm, the increase in the height of the diffuser’s keel, which is located under the floor, the introduction of stricter lateral deflection tests for the floor, and the introduction of a more precise sensor to help quantify aerodynamic oscillations. So we come to France, to the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet. And Charles Leclerc, who is fighting for the victory in the World Drivers' Championship, is ready for a new challenge:
"We are ready to race in these extreme conditions as the heat is nearly always a factor. Last year the temperatures were also very high and we struggled quite a lot with the tires, but I think we learned a from last year's race and we have made a lot of progress with tire management. This year we want to fight at the front. It's a question that's typical of modern Formula 1. In the old days, there used to be gravel traps and so you knew not to go there... But these are the rules for everyone and they have to be respected. For sure, with the limited visibility we have from the cockpit, it's better when the sensors are in the kerbs , because at least you feel it when you drive over them, but when you are dealing with the white lines, it's really difficult".
Carlos Sainz Jr. comments instead the high temperatures that characterize the Paul Ricard circuit in this period of the year and states how they can represent a big one obstacle for the performance of the drivers:
"As usual, at the very hot races, I hydrate enough before getting in the car and then, as always we will concentrate on the work that awaits us over the weekend. We are only at the halfway point of the season and there are still a lot of possibilities. Our car is very strong and its performance continues to improve. I am ready for an attacking race".
In the fight to win the World Championship, Mercedes seems momentarily to be out of the running. But it certainly could become the arbiter of this challenge involving Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari. And Toto Wolff says:
“Third and fourth in Austria was a satisfying result for the whole team, particularly given the position we were in on Friday evening. The team worked miracles to have two complete race cars ready for the Sprint and Grand Prix. 27 points on Sunday were a good reward for that effort. We scored three podiums in the first seven races, and we have now achieved four in the last four. I'm pleased with the momentum we are building, and it reflects the mammoth effort of the team. Our understanding of the W13 is growing with every lap and it's encouraging to see that reflected in our development and results. While we were quicker in Austria, we still weren't quick enough to challenge at the front. We need to keep chasing those final few tenths and bringing new developments to the cars, including this weekend in France. Paul Ricard is a very different track and challenge. It has smooth tarmac and a wide range of corner types, along with long straights. The aim will be to make further inroads on the gap to the front and hopefully be back on the podium. Nyck is replacing Lewis in first practice this weekend, as part of the allocated sessions for young drivers this year. So , we're looking forward to seeing how he gets on".
On Friday, with Ferrari in great shape after the win in Austria, another great battle is expected, as the defending World Champion wants to retain the title of French king. Charles Leclerc means business from the beginning: under a bright sun the Ferrari driver sets the fastest lap of FP1 with a time of 1’33"930, edging Max Verstappen by just 0.091s. The current World Champion precedes Carlos Sainz in the other Ferrari. Having replaced the control electronics unit on his car, Sainz will receive a 10-place grid penalty. The Spaniard is ahead of Russell and Pierre Gasly, remarkably 5th after having some technical issues with his AlphaTauri. A struggling Sergio Pérez ends the first free practice session in P6 after a spin at turn 3-4 and a cut of the turn 8-9 chicane. Another remarkable performance is provided by Mercedes reserve driver and defending Formula E champion Nick de Vries, who finishes 9th after taking Hamilton’s seat during FP1. A similar opportunity is given to Robert Kubica: the Polish driver returns behind the wheel of Alfa Romeo’s F1 car after this year’s winter test and places 19th ahead of Nicholas Latifi. The rest of the top 10 is composed of Norris (7th), who has some early issues with his throttle pedal, Albon, De Vries, and Ricciardo, who goes wide at turn 12 after a lock-up. Another hot session for the drivers here in France. FP2 is crucial on Friday, as teams test both their qualifying and race pace.
And that is exactly how this FP2 begins: after the first instalament laps things start to get serious. Ferrari and Red Bull are the last teams to hit the track but, as soon as they do, they show clear superiority over everyone else. Both Ferraris are particularly at ease in their qualifying simulation and Carlos Sainz Jr. shows great speed around Le Castellet and sets the fastest time of the session in 1'32"527. Leclerc places second (+0.101s) and cannot quite match his teammate’s pace. Both F1-75s have a new floor to suit the characteristics of the circuit that seems to work well, especially on a flying lap. On the contrary, Red Bull is still struggling to find the right balance and Verstappen is third with a gap of more than half a second (+0.550s). His teammate’s situation is even worse. But if Pérez (10th at the end of the session) strives to find performance in every condition, during race simulation the RB-18 comes back to life with Verstappen, and the Dutchman shows a very strong pace (1’37"0), consistently faster than both ‘men in red’ (1’38"0). This time, both Mercedes are right behind the best, within less than a second from Sainz, with Russell and Hamilton in 4th and 5th position respectively. The introduction of the fourth power unit (that will be mounted on the F1-75 on Saturday) means that Carlos Sainz Jr. will have to start his race from the back of the grid, a tough challenge both for him and for his teammate Charles Leclerc, who will have to fight against Max Verstappen without backup. However, the Spaniard does not lose his positive attitude as the car has shown a very convincing performance:
"It has been a positive day. The updates seem to work well and the car felt good, especially on the flying laps. The long runs were a bit more challenging due to the graining. For sure, today’s high temperatures were an important factor to consider, but we need to look carefully into how we can protect the tyres as much as possible. Given I’ll take a penalty on Sunday, we now need to focus on preparing the car for the race. There is room for improvement, so we’ll keep digging".
Charles Leclerc is sporting a special helmet lid covered with photographs from his racing career in a way to thank all the people that helped him from the early karting days up to his debut in Formula One. His French colleagues have also brought new liveries to honour their home race, and even though he is from Monaco, his motoring roots can be traced in France, where he started his racing career. Like Sainz, Leclerc is enthusiastic about how his Friday went:
"The sessions went quite well today. Our qualifying pace was pretty good, so our focus now will be on our race pace. Tyre management will be key, as the temperatures are so high this weekend. I am confident that we will be all set by the time Sunday comes as we know where we need to improve".
A special weekend for Sir Lewis Hamilton, who celebrates his 300th Grand Prix, a milestone that few fellow racing drivers have reached during their careers. The Brit has only had one session on Friday to get acquainted with the car, as Formula E champion Nick de Vries has replaced him in FP1:
"Nyck did a strong job this morning, he was great out there and I'm grateful for the work he did. We made some changes from FP1 to FP2 which is crazy considering I haven't even driven the car yet. We still have a lot of work to do, we're not spectacular here and I don't know why, so hopefully overnight, we can make a little bit of a step forward as we're further behind than what we anticipated for this weekend. We need to dig deep into the data, but it looks like were lacking downforce today. It wasn't the best session for me, mostly because I missed the first one. I tried to get up to speed, but it was very hot here and there are a lot of slow laps so overall, I think I did alright".
The Dutchman talks about the chance he has been given by Mercedes:
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity, it was a great experience. Obviously, it was very cool to be back in such a fast car and a bit of a reset of what I'm used to. All in all, a great session and great opportunity. We went through all test items and managed to do quite a bit of work for the team. It was a good session, it felt quickly on the pace and I felt comfortable with the car. The team was very supportive, and we got the information that we needed. Lewis was amazing and also very supportive. I also had Angela by my side as well which was really sweet. So overall a very productive session".
George Russell has enjoyed quite a smooth Friday, despite a rough run on the kerb outside of turn 2 in FP2. The former Formula 2 champion has placed 4th in both practice sessions:
"It was quite enjoyable to be back out there at this track as it's quite a fun one in certain aspects. Some teams struggled more than others with the high temperatures. We only did five consecutive laps but we're also probably a bit further off the pace than what we had hoped for. We have work to do tonight here at the track and back at the factories. There's a lot to go over and we need to make sure we can optimise our pace for tomorrow. From the running today, it looks like we're finding time but all the other teams keep bringing updates too, and the whole grid moves forward. So, although we're finding time, our competitors do as well. And we need to look at the data to see if our upgrades are working as sometimes it's not as simple as just seeing it on the lap charts".
Despite a promising 2nd and 3rd place in Friday’s free practice, Max Verstappen does not seem too satisfied with his overall performance. After suffering a bit from oversteer during FP2, the Dutchman has been able to challenge Ferrari still seriously on race pace:
"I think FP2 was a little bit more difficult for us than FP1 as we didn’t get the balance that we had hoped for. We were also trying different things with the car. We’ll have a look at it all overnight and of course try to be quicker tomorrow. I think the long run is better but the tyres are running really hot so it’s difficult to judge where you really are. Overall, this track is tough on tyres, I think we all needed a few more laps to have a more accurate look at the long runs".
More difficulties, instead, for Sergio Pérez:
"We had a delay in this session due to a bit of an issue with one of the roll bars but it was nothing major. I am not overly comfortable with the car at the moment, I think there is some good work and understanding to be done overnight. We also only had a short stint on the soft tyre but hopefully tomorrow we are able to pull it all together and be in the fight for qualifying and the race on Sunday.
Before the start of the third free practice session on Saturday, the barriers adjacent to the track at the exit of Turn 5 and Turn 15 are removed. After criticism from the drivers during the briefing regarding the relocation of the speed limiter deactivation zone inside the pit lane, a digital panel is placed above the pit wall, adjacent to the pit exit, on the driver's right. Every time a car leaves the pit lane, the panel illuminates, showing an arrow pointing left to inform the drivers on track that a car is exiting the pit lane. On Saturday, July 23, 2022: Max Verstappen is the best driver in FP3. The Dutchman, already competitive on the medium tires, sets his best performance on soft tires. Red Bull Racing proves to be more competitive than Friday on the single lap, but less so in the race simulation. Behind the world champion, the two Ferraris rank second and third. The Italian cars cannot improve compared to Friday, also due to a lower asphalt temperature. Leclerc also spins out. Hamilton finishes ahead of Pérez, but both are far from Verstappen's time. Sebastian Vettel has to stop the session due to technical issues with his car. At the start of qualifying, the air temperature is 31 °C, while the asphalt temperature is around 56 °C. After some second-tier teams have completed their first runs, Leclerc sets a time of 1'31"727. Pérez is second, 6 tenths behind. The Alfa Romeo cars take the third and fifth positions before Max Verstappen arrives, just 164 thousandths behind the Ferrari driver. Norris rises to fourth, nearly a second off the lead. The Mercedes cars are sixth and seventh, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo.
Fernando Alonso also enters the top positions, shortly after, becoming fifth. The drivers perform both their warm-up and cool-down laps before attempting a second fast lap very slowly, which creates dangerous situations as other competitors, who are in their fast laps, approach. Carlos Sainz Jr., who is forced to the last row, tries a lap anyway, setting third position. With the final fast lap, Mick Schumacher improves, qualifying for the next stage before his time is cancelled for exceeding track limits. The other Haas driver, Magnussen, manages to qualify for the next phase. Magnussen, also penalized, will start from the last row. Along with the German, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, Zhou Guanyu, and Nicholas Latifi are eliminated. Haas files an immediate protest against the race director's decision regarding Schumacher's cancelled time, but the appeal is rejected. In Q2, Lewis Hamilton sets a time of 1'33"329, taking the lead, ahead of his Mercedes teammate, George Russell. The former world champion's time is beaten by Norris. Leclerc manages to beat Norris’ time with a 1'32"587, which is slower than his best time from the first phase. The two Red Bull Racing drivers quickly take control: Pérez first sets a 1'32"120, and then Verstappen finishes his lap in 1'31"990. Since Magnussen, who is also penalized and starting from the last row, has set a time in the session, Sainz Jr. decides to try the track again to stay ahead of the Dane. The Spaniard moves up to third. Ocon climbs to sixth, and Bottas improves, entering the top ten.
Yuki Tsunoda and Alonso also make it into Q3. Besides the battle for Q3 spots, there is also a fight for the best session time, with Leclerc moving up to second. In the end, Magnussen manages to set a time good enough for qualification. The drivers eliminated in Q2 are Ricciardo, Ocon, Bottas, Vettel, and Albon. In the decisive phase, Pérez sets the reference time of 1'31"640, well ahead of Alonso and Tsunoda. The Mexican’s time is beaten by Leclerc: the two Ferraris work together, with Sainz Jr. providing a slipstream for his teammate in the straight and also at Signes corner. Verstappen is second, 8 tenths behind Leclerc’s time. Russell and Hamilton move up behind the top three, while Sainz Jr. fails to complete his lap. Norris beats Alonso, while Magnussen, like Sainz Jr., decides not to set a time in this phase of qualifying. In the second quick attempt, Ferrari repeats its strategy: Leclerc takes advantage of Sainz Jr.’s slipstream. The Monegasque improves already in the first sector, where no slipstream is present. The Ferrari driver refines his time from the first attempt, which Verstappen fails to do. Charles Leclerc claims his seventh pole position of the season, the first since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, his 16th career pole, equaling the number of poles held by Stirling Moss, Felipe Massa, and Verstappen. Charles Leclerc jumps out of his car, waves to the supporters, and gets ready for the interview:
"Leading up to this afternoon, it had been quite a difficult weekend for me. I struggled with the balance and knew that in this kind of heat, you pay the price for the smallest mistake because your tyres overheat. Today, I felt good building up to that last lap in Q3. Carlos gave me a nice tow, which helped me to have a bigger margin and seal pole position. It was a good qualifying with great teamwork behind it. Our competitors are extremely strong here. It seems that they have an advantage in terms of race pace, but I’m confident we can turn it around and hopefully we will keep that first place tomorrow".
Carlos Sainz Jr. explains that today his job was to help the team to maximise the results and have a strong quailifying, due to the penalty he has:
"Given I’ll serve the penalty tomorrow, today was all about helping the team maximise the result and we executed a strong Qualifying. The plan was to go through Q1 and Q2 with only one attempt and then use Q3 to give a tow to Charles, which we did perfectly as a team. I’m happy because of that and because I’ve been fast and comfortable on track the entire weekend. In Q2 I pushed a bit more to test the limits and the time was very competitive. I would have obviously liked to do a normal session, but I prefer to take the positives as we keep taking steps in the right direction. We know that tomorrow won’t be an easy race but I’m looking forward to it. We will have to manage the tyres carefully while trying to move up the order, but I’m ready for it".
The Scuderia Ferrari Sporting Director, Laurent Mekies, finds that tomorrow will be difficult because the French track has always been complicated for Maranello’s team:
"This pole feels special, because it’s the result of a perfectly executed piece of teamwork. Congratulations to Charles who made a lot of progress over the course of the weekend, confirming once again how fantastic he is on a flying lap. And really well done to Carlos who has consistently had a great pace. With a penalty for the power unit change, he then put himself at the service of the team, towing Charles on both his Q3 runs, thus contributing to the final result. Now comes the hardest test, the Grand Prix itself on a track that, in the past, has proved to be particularly complicated for us. After last season’s race here, we have worked on track and in Maranello to find a solution to the limitations we experienced on these types of circuit. So now we are keen to see how much progress we have made and how much more we still need to do in order to improve. We will now analyse all the data to prepare for the 53 lap race, down to the smallest detail, in order to convert today’s result with Charles, even though our rivals have demonstrated excellent pace. It will be a case of two against one, which means it will be even more important to do everything to the best of our ability. Of course, we are also expecting to see Carlos work his way through the field and help us bring home a lot of points for both championships".
Max Verstappen is not particularly satisfied with today’s performance:
"Overall we were lacking a bit in qualifying with grip and general pace. We pushed hard but there were a few areas on the track that I couldn’t improve on, especially in my final lap. We have a good race car but looking after the tyres is key, it’s much warmer tomorrow and that will have an impact so we’ll have to see what we can do strategy wise. It’s good to have Checo alongside though and we are quick on the straights so let’s see what we can do".
Sergio Perez is relieved with today’s performance:
"To put in a decent lap in Q3 after a difficult start to this weekend is really good and I am pleased to be back in contention tomorrow. We did some setup changes and managed to get in the rhythm of understanding the tyres which worked out well and hopefully puts us in a position to fight hard in the race. I think patience, a strong start and a good tyre strategy in the heat will be key to getting a good result. It’s also very important we work together to get the best outcome for the Team".
The Ceo and Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner explains that tomorrow everything will be about the management of the tyres, in particular, the front ones
"Ferrari had the advantage on us today but in the context of attacking the racetrack this weekend they are running a little bit more downforce and we are a bit more trimmed out. It is all about tomorrow though and we have both cars up there, it’s two versus one, which is always a beneficial strategic dynamic and strategy can play a decisive role around this track. Through some of these long turns, like 11 and 12, and the first sector. We did some good work overnight on the sim and the factory worked very hard overnight, burning the midnight oil, to bring us improvements today. Ultimately, we have the second and third drivers on the grid and I believe we can do something from there in the race. It is going to be hot and a little windy tomorrow so it will be a fascinating battle out there. If it plays out and we are close to Charles with that overspeed then an overtake is on".
Lewis Hamilton is satisfied with his performance but he finds that the team has to work more because the gap with Ferrari and Red Bull has got bigger:
"I was quite happy with my lap and my performance at the end of Q3, it was a nice lap. But for whatever reason, we seem to be a lot further off this weekend, and so is the whole chasing pack. The two top teams are just in their own league performance-wise. I'm not sure why that gap has got bigger between these two races. Considering I missed FP1, which definitely puts you on the back foot, I'm really happy with the progress that I made and everyone back at the factories was working very hard with us. We took a step backwards today in final practice, but we managed to turn it around. We're still there and everyone behind me is struggling, too, so we just keep fighting".
George Russell feels the same because they are not where they hoped and thinks that Max and Charles are too quick for Mercedes:
"As a team I feel we're a bit further away than we would have hoped or expected, especially after yesterday. Personally, I had a good start to Q3, I was in P4 and just made a mistake on my last lap. At the end of the day, I think the time gap to the front is more concerning than the position. We need to understand it, as we're the only team on the grid that closes the gap to the front on a Sunday compared to a Saturday. All the other gaps extend, and we manage to reduce it. Hopefully, Lewis can take the fight to Checo tomorrow, but I think Charles and Max are probably too quick for us at the moment".
Toto Wolff recognises the great job Lewis did and that the team is not where they were expecting for this weekend:
"Lewis has done an immense job so far. He's probably extracted more than the car has at the moment. We are on the back foot, not meeting our expectations that we had for this weekend. Overall, our package is just not quick enough and you can see that. So, we have been experimenting with rear wing levels and tyre temperatures. Once we got the new tyres on in Q3 we knew we were going to be the third quickest, as we have been all season and it's just not good enough for us. Nevertheless, we'll work hard overnight and try to be in a better position tomorrow in the race".
Os Sunday, July 24, 2022 is a hot day in Le Castellet. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc starts from pole position, after a very good qualifying, while due to a grid penalty, team mate Carlos Sainz in nineteenth on the grid; Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are respectively second and third, while Lewis Hamilton, on his 300th Grand Prix, is in P4. Because of the high temperatures, tyre management will be really important to gain good results and Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz are the only drivers who start on hards, while the rest of the field is mediums. Lights out and Charles Leclerc goes first, managing to keep the lead, while Verstappen has his last year’s rival Hamilton behind, as the Mercedes driver jumped to third and tried to pass the Dutchman going into the opening chicane. Good start also for Fernando Alonso, who goes from P7 to P5, leaving Russell and both McLarens behind. Magnussen jumps to 13th from 20th at the start, and at the same time there is a collision into Turn 9 between Esteban Ocon and Yuki Tsunoda, who spins and ends in last position. Because of this, Ocon receives a five-second penalty. On lap 5, Verstappen is right on Leclerc’s tail and uses DRS as he has half a second of detachment from the leading Ferrari. The same for Perez, who continues to try to steal the third place off Hamilton. Sainz manages to pass both Alfa Romeos, Gasly and Mick Schumacher, and by lap 5 is fourtheenth. On the following lap, the reigning World Champion tries to pass the Ferrari number 16 around the outside of Turn 11, but fails and continues following Leclerc very closely. Hamilton has now a little gap to Perez and his team mate Russell begins to gain on him. Magnussen from the twelfth position is the first to pit, on Lap 9, for another set of hards. His team mate Schumacher and Zhou Guanyu do the same a lap later.
The Ferrari team tells Leclerc to opt for Plan B, while Verstappen is now out of DRS range, while Sainz is now into the top 10. On lap 17, Verstappen pits for hards and emerges sixth, behind Lando Norris, who immediately overtake at Turn 11. On Lap 18, Charles Leclerc, leader of the race since the start, enters Turn 11 and loses the control of his car, spinning into the tyre wall: his race has just come to an end, with the Monegasque’s scream over the radio evoking hurt and frustration. A Virtual Safety Car is triggered; Hamilton, Russell and Perez pits and all three stops last more than three seconds, while Verstappen strengthens his leading position. Zhou is the only driver who does not stop, while Sainz and Gasly chose mediums over hards as the others chose the hard compound. The only Ferrari driver left on track receives also a five-second time penalty for an unsafe release, into the path of Albon, during his Safety Car stop. On lap 22, the Safety Car ends and Verstappen runs easily away and, after only five laps opens a gap of three seconds over Hamilton. Sainz overtakes Norris and Alonso and runs fifth; he then passes also Russell on the run to Turn 10 taking P4. Sainz’ ppace is superior to that of Perez and Hamilton, and afer 9 laps, the Spaniard goes wheel-to-wheel with Perez, shouting not now, on the team radio as they asked him to box at the an inopportune tme; he manage to take P2 off the Red Bull going into the final corner. On lap 42, Russell is very close to Perez and makes contact with him going into Turn 8. The Mexican retains his position: Russell’s protests about this but his team does not agree and makes it clear to him it clear that he was not ahead of the Red Bull going into the chicane. Mercedes’ Team Principal Toto Wolff tells him to keep his head down and continue his race. From the third position on Lap 43, Sainz Jr. serves his five-second penalty and takes a new set of mediums.
He emerges behind the Alpines and McLarens. Suddenly Zhou stops off the track, so is forced to retire for the fifth time and a Virtual Safety Car is out. On lap 51, the VSC ends, so Verstappen runs away and Russell sweeps past a slow-moving Perez out of the final corner and gains the final podium place. The Mexican tries to hit back, but did not manage to do it and finished just 0.815 seconds behind Russell. Maz Verstappen is comfortably in the lead until the end of the race, with a margin of 10.587 seconds over Hamilton. The reigning World Champion now has a 63-point lead over team mate Perez in the drivers’ ranking, while Mercedes, with this double, is just 44 points behind Ferrari in the Constructors’ World Championship. Carlos Sainz Jr. easily passes the Alpines and McLarens to finish fifth and is also elected Driver of The Day. Max Verstappen ran behind Leclerc during the opening stages of the race, but then took the lead when his rival crashed and from there he drove comfortably to the victory:
"We had really good pace from the start, although following around here, the tyres overheated a lot so I couldn't really go for a move but I stayed calm and stayed close. It was really unlucky for Charles and I'm glad he's OK, it could have been a really fun race because both cars were so quick. From there I just concentrated on my own race and looked after the tyres. The pit lane is so long here so that prevented us from having another pit stop. Today was a great day but there are plenty more races ahead of us and I just always aim for the most points possible, the fight is nowhere near over".
Sergio Perez’ race was less easy. At the start, he lost out to Hamilton, then he battled with both Sainz and Russell and in the end the Mercedes’ driver took off him the final podium place:
"It was a difficult one out there today, I was off the pace and unfortunately wasn't able to get the podium we wanted. I struggled with tyre management and it was tough to get on top of it. I had a close battle with George, but it was a good one. I wish we could have pushed for a 1-2, but Mercedes were very strong and it was difficult to overtake them. There are some bits for us to analyse and hopefully I will recover my pace and come back stronger for Hungary".
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s Team Principal, is pretty satisfied with Max’ result:
"The main thing today is that Charles was OK, it was a cracking race between Max and him in that first stint. We pushed the button early and went for the undercut, Max had effectively taken track position, so it's a shame we didn't get to see how that played out, it would have been a great battle. In the end it was a straightforward victory for Max and a very good point scoring day”.
He then talk about Checo, who was less lucky than his team mate:
"It was frustrating we didn't have Checo on the podium too, it was just bad timing for the virtual safety car for him, there was a software error so they were held longer than they should have been. We have to keep pushing this season and look to get the best out of every ounce of performance, there are lots of factors at play but today was a big day for us".
Lewis Hamilton’ start was excellet, as he immediately took off the third position from Perez into the first corner. Overall, he had a relatively lonely race, and after Leclerc’s crash, ran second and achieved the best result of the season until now:
"What a great result, considering we have been so far off all weekend and that I missed FP1. I wasn't expecting to fight for second place or a podium, so this is a wonderful result for us".
So he adds:
"Our team has been amazing when it comes to reliability and it shows that with dedication and focus, we can slowly make our way up. We don't have the same pace yet as the two teams at the front but today we were able to keep one of them at bay so a great result for us, everyone has worked really hard. Huge congratulations to the teams back at the factories and the team here. Without them, this wouldn't have been possible and I'm proud of them. And George did an amazing job today, too".
George Russell was passed by Alonso but soon after made his way back past the Alpine, and fighted with Perez for the final podium place. They collided at one point, but at the VSC restart Russel made a good move, overtaking the Red Bull driver and taking the third place:
"It was a long and tough race. Our pace was strong, but we really struggled with the warm-up of the tyres on the restart and Checo was strong today. I was glad to see the chequered flag and come home P3. We're making a lot of progress and we really need to improve our qualifying performance as we're lacking consistency. We know as a team we struggle with the tyre warm-up and at the restart I struggled with the same issue. Our race pace today was reasonable and we're getting closer to the front. We're doing everything we can to improve the performance of the car and we believe we are on the right path, so we're excited what the next races can bring for us. We're making progress and there is still more to come, thanks to everyone back at the factories in Brackley and Brixworth for their hard work and dedication".
Toto Wolff thanks Lewis Hamilton for always pushing the team, and thinks they are improving and going tot he right direction:
"Overall, the drivers did a really good job and the team effort was great today. We're extracting the maximum that is possible on race day currently. George was clever and fast, while Lewis was fighting like a lion. Lewis is absolutely on it and keeps pushing the team. He keeps his positive mindset, even on grim days like yesterday and he never stops pushing. But we need to stay humble, because our car is just not good enough to fight with the teams in the front. We're lacking six to seven tenths to the leaders. In qualifying we struggle to bring the tyres into the optimum window and don't manage to extract the most from the first flying lap. And then in the race, we lose three seconds at the start of the race, but once we stabilise, we are actually not so bad. We still have a lot of work to do, but I believe we have the best people to do so. All in all, today was a great team effort at track and back at the factories and we're heading in the right direction".
Bad day for Charles Leclerc, who after leading the first stages of the race, lost the rear through Turn 11 and crashed into the barriers. He was forced to retire and this obviously influences his position in the drivers’ ranking:
"I’m very disappointed. This is not the outcome that I wanted today, as we had the pace to win. I made a mistake and paid the price for it. Now I will head home to reset before the next race in Hungary, where I will give it my all once again".
Carlos Sainz Jr. started from the back on hards and had moved up some positions when the Safety Car came out. He switched to the mediums and was then forced to pit again where he also served a five-second time penalty earned for an unsafe pit stop release:
"It was a hard race today but I also enjoyed going through the field, making lots of overtakes. To make places up with the Hards was tricky but as soon as I put the Mediums the pace improved a lot and I managed to make good moves. I gave everything out there today and, even though we were a bit unlucky with the pit stop and the penalty, we managed to fight at the front".
So he adds:
"Like always, we will review everything these couple of days to see where we can improve and hopefully we can bring home a better result before the summer break. A pity for Charles as he was doing a great race. We’ll keep pushing".
Ferrari’s Team Principal Mattia Binotto look at the positive things of the race, then he comments on the drivers’ performance
"Although this result was far from the one we wanted, there are still some positives to take away from this race. First of all, the F1-75 was very competitive, even on this difficult Paul Ricard track. There is no point on dwelling on Charles’ mistake. These things can happen, even to great drivers like him and together, we have already put it behind us. Carlos had a strong weekend, starting with qualifying, when he did what was required of him for the team. In the race, he was patient in the early stages and then made up places lap after lap, including some brilliant overtaking moves. Now we look ahead to Hungary where we want to fight for the win once again".
Now, Max Verstappen has 63 points of detachment from Charles Leclerc, and in the Constructors’ World Championship Red Bull Racing has an 82-point lead over Scuderia Ferrari. One stop until the summer break: the Hungarian Grand Prix, which will takes place on July 29-31.