Whilst in recent years, the French Grand Prix hasn’t always delivered, this time around a sweltering hot day at Le Castellet proved to be a potentially significant denominator in the Championship fight.
As predicted, the tyres were quick to degrade, which meant that some had to become very creative with their strategy whilst others were caught out by the lack of grip. The sweltering sun and melting rubber were not all there was to the race, however, as despite the large run-off areas at Paul Ricard there were quite a few drivers who got tangled up in the corners.
Want to know more about the who, what, where or when? Read to find out. Here are the top of the class contenders and struggle bus riders from Paul Ricard:
Top of the class:
Carlos Sainz – Qualifying: 9th (19th) | Race: 5th (+FL)
There isn’t much which you can fault Carlos Sainz for this weekend. The grid penalty for changing engine components and the penalty for an unsafe release during his first pitstop were unfortunate, but neither is something you can lay blame on the driver for. Sainz got crowned driver of the day and with good reason.
Not only did he prove himself a team player on the Saturday, but also drove a brilliant recovery race on the Sunday. Sure, he was aided a little by the safety car brought out for his teammate, as it closed the gap to the front, but his F1-75 cut through the pack like a hot knife through butter.
The Spaniard himself was convinced that a podium would have been possible and questioned the decision to pit him a second time, but amended that he is content with this week’s result. Understandable, considering the disaster of a Sunday the other side of the garage had to deal with.
Max Verstappen – Qualifying: 2nd | Race: 1st
It’s quite often that you find the winner back on top of lists like these, but as Max himself admits; the lead is ‘probably bigger than it should’ve been’ after his win at Paul Ricard. Which is why he finds himself second on the list despite finishing first in the race.
Verstappen is right in his assessment, he was a lucky devil this time around – because whilst the Dutchman was continuously on the hunt, the RB18 seemed just a tad slower than their red counterpart. Then again, the bulls did both make it to the end, whilst yet again at least one of the prancing horses floundered. Considering the reliability problems the Milton Keyes-based team had to battle in the first few races of the year, they are looking particularly strong and solid at the moment.
With an advantage of 63-points Verstappen looks like a strong favourite for this year’s title. Formula 1 has always been a fickle sport, however, so two bad races could most definitely turn that result on its head. But that is for later. For now, he’s got these points in the bag and will be heading to Budapest feeling confident.
Then for the honourable mentions:
First up is Mercedes. It has been said before, but it needs to be said again. George and Lewis might not have the fasted car on the grid, but they are always there to pick up the pieces and rake in the points when Red Bull or Ferrari drop the ball.
They are consistent and usually in all the right places, which is why they’re third in the Constructor’s Championship with a solid 270 points. Considering Alpine in 4th only have 93 points, they’ve managed to pull quite a significant gap to the back despite not (yet) being truly involved in the title battle up front. Sir Lewis Hamilton also deserves a special mention for reaching the 300 race mark, a truly impressive feat.
Alpine deserves the second honourable mention, because despite not being a true threat to Mercedes in the standings, they had a very solid weekend. Fernando Alonso was unapologetically himself, clearly playing games with the McLarens behind him in an effort to ruin their tyres, before bringing the car home in 6th place.
Ocon’s race wasn’t quite as clean. He tipped Tsunoda into a spin and earned himself a 5-second penalty. He recovered nicely, however, crossing the line in 8th position and earning himself 4 points – just enough to move the team clear of McLaren in the Constructors’ championship.
The last of the honourable mentions goes to Lance Stroll for scoring a point. That might not sound all that impressive, but points have been a rare sight at Aston Martin. If they were sighted, then it was usually in the hands of Sebastian Vettel, who currently has a tally of 15. So, to return from a day in the office with a point on Stroll’s side is only good news for the Canadian, as his total now tallies up to 4. All of which have come from P10 finishes in the 2022 season.
Struggle Bus:
Charles Leclerc – Qualifying: 1st | Race: DNF
Charles’ scream of disappointment after smashing through the barriers at Double Droite du Beausset must have echoed through the entirety of France. It was a rather abrupt ending to what looked to be a strong weekend. Admittedly, he mentioned not feeling entirely at home in his Ferrari this weekend, but that discomfort went unnoticed until his car snapped on lap 18.
Whilst it was an unfortunate mistake, it must be said that this isn’t the sole reason for Leclerc’s slow but steady descent in the championship standings, as the Ferrari car has proved to be both fickle and fragile in recent races. In 12 rounds, they’ve had to retire one of the Ferrari’s seven times. Still, Leclerc is not keen to blame anyone but himself, mentioning that he’ll know where he lost it if this ends up being the deficit in points at the end of the year.
Let’s hope that this slump can be shaken off in time for Budapest, just so Charles can go enjoy his summer holiday without losing too much sleep on all that could have or would have been.
Zhou Guanyu – Qualifying: 18th | Race: 16th
It has to be said that Zhou Guanyu must be the unluckiest driver on the grid this year. Sure, he was to blame for the incident with Schumacher after the safety car restart, earning himself a 5-second penalty and two points on his license for tipping Mick into a spin… But his race ending on lap 49 because of a misfiring engine and a general lack of power was entirely out of his hands.
It has to be said that both Alfa’s were off the pace all weekend and Zhou in particular struggled with a Q1 elimination in France. Meaning that this most definitely was simply a round to forget for the Chinese driver.
Then for dishonourable mentions:
The first dishonourable mention goes to Haas. Kevin looked strong on Saturday as he managed to land himself in Q3, but he still had to start the race from the back because of grid penalties. Determined not to be beaten, Magnussen made up 8 places in the opening lap, before going for an aggressive early stop.
Whilst others benefited from the safety car, it proved costly for the two Haas cars. Just like Zhou and Schumacher got all tangled up, Magnussen got in a pickle with the Williams of Nicholas Latifi at turn 1. Only for Kevin, the damage was severe enough for him to be forced to retire the car, whilst his teammate Mick came home second-to-last in 15th.
The second dishonourable mention goes to AlphaTauri. Admittedly, Yuki wasn’t in the wrong for his collision with Ocon, but considering the upgraded AT03 looked promising at Le Castelet not finishing the race is extra painful. It doesn’t help that Gasly was practically invisible as well, bringing the car home in a pointless 12th position after being knocked out in Q1 on Saturday for the fourth time this season.
The last dishonourable mention goes to Sergio Pérez. It must be said that something seemed awry with the VSC message, as ‘VSC ending’ didn’t just linger too long in the graphics on the worldwide broadcast, but apparently also on the Mexican’s dash… Meaning that the Mexican wasn’t entirely to blame, but the pace of the Red Bull car (whilst not as fast as Ferrari) looked to be impressive, which means that a podium would most definitely have been in the cards if Checo played his hand right.
It probably wasn’t too damaging points-wise owing to Max and Red Bull’s lead in the respective Championships, but Sergio’s lack of pace all weekend will be something to keep an eye on in Hungary and later in the season.
One last race to go before a short intermission for the summer break. The F1 circus will be heading to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix. With 8 seats still open for 2023 and Silly Season most likely fully taking off after the summer breaks, drivers (especially those without a seat) will be keen to leave a good impression. Because as they say; you’re only as good as your last race.
Be sure to tune in on Sunday at 2pm to see who’ll wrestle themselves into the limelight and who might wish for the ground to swallow them whole.
