This weekend F1 returns to Circuit Paul Ricard for the third French Grand Prix in the venue’s five year deal to host it. Located in the South of France, not far from Monaco, and built on a plateau Circuit Paul Ricard is known for its fair weather. Notable features of the track include the long Mistral Straight & Chicane leading into high-speed right-hander Signes as well as runoff areas coated with high friction paint in place of gravel. The circuit has not been known for producing exciting races in the modern era which will prove even tougher following Baku. Out of the past 16 Grands Prix the circuit has played host to, 8 of the race winners have gone on to win the Driver’s Championship that year.
Despite recent success Red Bull must be on their guard this weekend because this track is a known entity where Mercedes’ methodical approach has a history of paying off. That said, momentum is a hard thing to deny and with Perez seeming to have figured out how to get the most out of the Red Bull chassis the team is positioned well. Look for one car on the podium with the chance of a win and the other close behind hopefully aiding in strategy. On the AlphaTauri side look for one car solidly in the points with a double points finish is not out of the question.
Elsewhere on the grid, we cannot assume that Mercedes has forgotten how to win with its fine-tuned operation, still, they will need to regain momentum for success here. The next team we should see crossing the finish line is McLaren who will be in a close battle with one of the Ferrari cars. Following them we can expect to see an Aston Martin. After that look for an Alpine. At this point we can expect to see some team cars of the aforementioned teams as well as Alfa Romeo and Williams mixing it up. Finally we will see the Haas duo in their woefully underdeveloped car.
US TV SCHEDULE
Practice 1 – Friday, June 18, 5:25 AM – ESPN2
Practice 2 – Friday, June 18, 8:55 AM –
ESPNU
Practice 3 – Saturday, June 19, 5:55 AM – ESPN2
Qualifying – Saturday, June 19, 8:55 AM – ESPN2
Grand Prix Sunday – Sunday, June 20, 7:30 AM –
ESPN
Race – Sunday, June 20, 8:55 AM –
ESPN
CIRCUIT INFORMATION
Lap data
Lap length: 5.842km (3.630 miles)
Race laps: 53
Race distance: 309.6km (192.3 miles)
Pole position: Left-hand side of the track
Maximum speed: 342kph (Pirelli est.)
Lap record*: 1:32.740 (Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari)
DRS
zone/s (race): Pit straight and back straight
Car performance
Downforce level: Medium
Strategy
2021 tyre choices: Hard, C2; Medium, C3; Soft, C4 (2019: Hard, C2; Medium, C3; Soft, C4)
*lap set during a Grand Prix
2019 RESULTS
Race Info.
Laps: 53
Pole: Lewis Hamilton, 1:28.319
Fast race lap: Sebastian Vettel, 1:32.740
Podium
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
3. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
CURRENT STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 105
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 101
3. Sergio Perez, Red Bull, 69
4. Lando Norris, McLaren, 66
5. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 52
6. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 47
7. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari, 42
8. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri, 31
9. Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin, 28
10. Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren, 26
11. Fernando Alonso, Alpine, 13
12. Esteban Ocon, Alpine, 12
13. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin, 9
14. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri, 8
15. Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo, 1
16. Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo, 1
17. Mick Schumacher, Haas, 0
18. George Russell, Williams, 0
19. Nikita Mazepin, Haas, 0
20. Nicholas Latifi, Williams, 0
Constructors
1. Red Bull, 174
2. Mercedes, 148
3. Ferrari, 94
4. McLaren, 92
5. AlphaTauri, 39
6. Aston Martin, 37
7. Alpine, 25
8. Alfa Romeo, 2
9. Haas, 0
10. Williams, 0
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