MOTORSPORT: Verstappen extends F1 lead
Red Bull star gets the better of Hamilton in French GP tooThe balance of power in Formula 1 has definitely shifted from Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen.
The proof came in the French Grand Prix last night, when the Red Bull racer started from pole position and then passed his Mercedes-AMG rival for a memorable win that keeps him in front of the 2021 championship battle.
Verstappen and the Bulls had won previously in Monaco and Baku, but those were street-style courses that were expected to favour this year’s early-season underdogs.
The Circuit Paul Ricard is old-school, fast and open, and Mercedes was expected to hit back with an easy(ish) win.
But it was Verstappen who was on top with his teammate Sergio Perez claiming the final place on the podium at the expense of Benz's tail-gunner Valtteri Bottas.
Daniel Ricciardo showed better form to finish sixth for McLaren, although he was still one spot behind his teammate Lando Norris, but Ferrari were outclassed and could only trail home in 11th and 16th.
“Winning this race was an amazing team effort and to have a double podium at a track like this really shows the hard work everyone is putting in,” said Verstappen.
“Of course I would have liked to pull off into the distance and cruise ahead on my own, but it doesn’t often work like that in Formula 1 and we really had to work for it today.”
Hamilton, who benefitted when Verstappen slid wide on the opening lap and would normally have then cruised to the flag, is looking for answers as his rival benefitted from the ‘undercut’ by stopping early and then overtaking him.
“We've got to find some pace,” says Hamilton.
“Most of the time we lost today was on the straights, so we've got to dig deep, try and figure out where that is, and whether it's power or drag but overall, we've still got a good package.”
It’s an ironic response from the team which has been the powerhouse of the turbo hybrid era in F1, and considering Red Bull’s powerplant comes from Honda and it is pulling out at the end of the season.
Ricciardo was definitely celebrating after a tough switch from Renault to McLaren.
“That was our dream race and we managed to pull it off. It was a fun race and I’m happy we brought it home in fifth and sixth for the team today. It’s about time we got back in these positions, so it was a positive day,” he said.
The F1 world championship continues with a double-header at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, the home track for Verstappen’s team, starting next weekend.
French Grand Prix results:
Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG
Sergio Perez, Red Bull
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-AMG
Lando Norris, McLaren
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
Fernando Alonso, Alpine
Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
George Russell, Williams
Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
Esteban Ocon, Alpine
Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo
Nicholas Latifi, Williams
Mick Schumacher, Haas
Nikita Mazepin, Haas
Championship standings:
1.Verstappen — 131 points
2. Hamilton — 119
3. Perez — 84
4. Norris — 76
5. Bottas — 59
6. Leclerc — 52
7. Sainz — 42
8. Gasly — 37
9. Ricciardo — 34
10. Vettel — 30.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
