After a season on the sidelines due to the
coronavirus pandemic, F1 returned to Le Castellet
for the 61st Formula 1 French Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel
found the barriers at Turn 11, the four-time champ
falling foul of a gust of wind, sliding backwards over
the asphalt and tungsten run-off area, the super-abrasive surface doing its job
of slowing his Aston Martin down. - “Yeah, I’m stuck in neutral.” Max Verstappen also went wide
at the same spot, the current championship leader
taking a lot of kerb, complaining about damaging
his Red Bull’s floor in the process. The blowy conditions took Carlos Sainz off
at the Turn 2-3 section, a snap saw the Spaniard shred his tyres as he fought to keep his Ferrari
out of danger. - “Yeah, I lost the car.
I need to box. Tyres are finished.” The same spot proved problematic
for a few drivers – Valtteri Bottas suffered damage
to his front wing, the Finn flying through the exit
and going over the yellow high kerbs. Compatriot Kimi Raikkonen took
a similar route but kept his cool, just a few sparks
from the Iceman’s Alfa Romeo. Mick Schumacher went straight on at Turn 3,
the Haas rookie sliding into the barriers, but thankfully
no serious harm done. And Yuki Tsunoda was another newbie
getting used to the tricky track, a slow spin at the final corner
for the AlphaTauri prospect. McLaren were sporting special helmet designs,
car livery, team uniforms and garage decor in tribute to Mansour Ojjeh,
the team’s co-owner, who sadly passed away
on 6 June. He was a major driving force
behind the Woking team’s resurgence, and Lando Norris’s magnificent podium in Monaco
was a testament to his and the team’s hard work, the Briton now the only remaining driver
to have scored in every round so far this year. After a pointless outing in Baku,
normal service resumed for Mercedes, with the Silver Arrows 1-2
at the Circuit Paul Ricard, Bottas besting defending champion Lewis Hamilton
by over three tenths. Verstappen was third-fastest,
ahead of Azerbaijan king Sergio Perez in P4. Esteban Ocon – fresh from signing a new deal
to keep him at Alpine for another three years – was fifth-quickest,
with Daniel Ricciardo just ahead of Fernando Alonso. Norris found himself sandwiched between
the AlphaTauris of Pierre Gasly and Tsunoda. Not the best morning’s work for the Scuderia –
Charles Leclerc P11, Sainz only P16. Antonio Giovinazzi got the better of
his veteran team-mate Raikkonen, and Aston Martin might also feel a little disappointed
after their decent showing in Baku – P14 and 15 respectively
for Lance Stroll and Vettel. Nicholas Latifi 17th,
ahead of the two young Haas drivers, and Williams reserve Roy Nissany
completes the timing table.
Thanks for this
Blocked by F1