The French Grand Prix provided more action than expected as Paul Ricard returned to the calendar after a prolonged absence, albeit with some organisational issues. Motorsport Week presents its conclusions from the event.
Hamilton takes control
For Daniel Ricciardo in Monaco and Sebastian Vettel in Canada read Lewis Hamilton in France. Hamilton, subdued after an imperfect Q3 lap that nonetheless netted pole position, cruised clear of his rivals to claim a relatively straightforward win, his third of the season. He was in a whimsical mood afterward, displaying humility upon being informed that he broke a record of Michael Schumacher’s (that of wins in different countries) and reflected on his old karting days. “There was a really really cool track in France and the last two corners are exactly the same as it is here. We used to take it flat, the left-hander, and come up on two wheels and you kind of had to lean to keep the kart down. It was sick. We had like supersoft Bridgestones which were sick. I miss those days.” Hamilton was no doubt in a lighter mood for neither of the drivers flanking him in the Press Conference were Vettel. The Ferrari driver’s misjudgement was clumsy and it cost him a handful of points – a phrase that has been written before. The dominance of the leading trio of teams, the damage sustained by Valtteri Bottas and the relative simplicity in overtaking (which had not been expected) meant fifth place was a formality. But in a title fight potentially decided by small margins, it could prove costly – especially with Mercedes and Hamilton entering a phase where it is typically strong.
Verstappen takes aim
Max Verstappen put in an accomplished performance in France, using a lower downforce set-up to out-qualify Daniel Ricciardo. In race trim, Verstappen picked his way through the carnage at the first corner and maintained second throughout, and cut a wry smile in the press conference when the subject of Vettel’s error was raised. “I think next time you see Seb you should ask him to change his style, y’know,” he said. “Because honestly, it’s not acceptable. That’s what they [the media] said to me at the beginning of the season, so I think they should do the same! And then, of course, Seb shouldn't do anything, and just drive again and learn from this and go on. That’s my advice to everyone in this room.” It was half-jovial, half-serious, and Verstappen at least has a leg to stand on after his form across the past two Grands Prix. But if he errs again it was a slightly unnecessary comment that could backfire against some of the more sniping members of the press pack.
Renault still rising
The French Grand Prix was understandable an important event for Renault as it returned to home soil, with thousands of spectators donning yellow caps and shirts, while the team put on an event for media on Thursday at which Pétanquewas played and an array of its previous Formula 1 machinery displayed. It wasn’t quite the perfect event for an MGU-K failure robbed Carlos Sainz Jr. of sixth place during the closing laps, but with the Spaniard eighth – and Nico Hulkenberg ninth – it means Renault has now exceeded its points tally from 2017 and has consolidated its grip on fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. package
Leclerc, Sauber impress again
Charles Leclerc’s run of form continued in France and arguments against his graduation to Ferrari next season are surely running thin. Leclerc did make a mistake in the race – running wide while trying to keep the pressure on Kevin Magnussen – but that he was so high in the order was a testament to his stunning qualifying display, putting Sauber into Q3 for the first time in three years. Sauber, too, deserves credit for the speed at which it has returned and readjusted to the midfield after a 2017 largely spent marooned at the back. Sauber has tweaked the development approach with its C37 and the ‘few but often’ upgrade stance is working well, with the on-site team at Grands Prix also performing excellently to extract the maximum from the minor – and sometimes unseen – parts. The rise of the humble and self-analytical Leclerc and rejuvenation of Sauber has been one of 2018’s feel-good stories.
Chocolate Orange
McLaren was under pressure for much of the weekend – and that was before a dismal showing on-track. A report surfaced in the Daily Mail that employees were dismayed at receiving a Cadbury’s Freddo bar as a reward, though Eric Boullier strenuously denied that there was any revolt, merely one or two dissatisfied employees among several hundred. The Friday Press Conference was a tetchy affair as he was asked publicly – and bluntly – whether he would resign, while a day later Zak Brown addressed the issue, dubbed Freddo-gate, at the start of its usual Saturday ‘Meet The Team’ media session, from which Boullier was absent due to still being at the post-qualifying debrief.
On-track. Well, a double Q1 exit, 12th for Stoffel Vandoorne, a suspension failure for Fernando Alonso while he was last – after a spin. A season that started promisingly and with regular points finishes is in danger of ebbing away into midfield mediocrity.
The team is still trying to identify a problem with the MCL33 that is not showing in the windtunnel – which is concerning, particularly in light of McLaren using the world-renowned Toyota facility in Cologne. “We can’t try and solve it in the windtunnel because we can’t replicate the issue or issues in the wind tunnel, so we have to try and fix the issues at the race track,” admitted Brown. “While most other teams are now on their development path and their base programme is working for them, we are having to identify and solve these issues.”
Alonso, meanwhile, was in a combative mood for most of the weekend, claiming his Le Mans triumph was better than any other before highlighting his 8-0 2018 record against Vandoone, almost at pains to demonstrate just how positive he was being. But, honestly, does anyone expect him to hang around for another year of this?
Ay Carambolage
Holding a major sporting event in a rural location is always going to be problematic due to the limited access roads and their twisty, hilly nature, and while queues were expected, few were braced for the level of chaos witnessed on Friday. With one road closed for F1 personnel, organisers implemented a one-way system that backfired spectacularly, with the local police also close to clueless as to what they were doing. It meant the grandstands were almost empty for FP1, and little fuller for FP2, and while the situation improved across the rest of the weekend there were still dismaying moments – such as when no-one could exit the circuit main gate for an hour on Saturday evening after police opted to close it. Even the drivers, most of whom stayed at the luxury hotel across the road from the main entrance, had problems, with Romain Grosjean commenting: “We were riding with Vettel, we got stuck by the police. We wanted to go again. The police wouldn’t let us go. I had my pass, the t-shirt.” One logistics operator working at one team had erroneously forgotten to inform others of the existence of the F1 Lane – meaning that squad’s cars nearly didn’t run in FP1, with the relevant mechanics and engineers arriving just in time.
There are more elements to consider than just a frustrating delay, as Force India’s Otmar Szafnauer explained.
“It took us two hours to go 10 miles. It was ridiculous. I’ll give you an example. We had a guest who was flying in to have a meeting with me and then flying back. He never made it to the meeting. He had to turn around and go back to the airport. He called me and said ‘I’m sorry, I’ve moved seven kilometres in two-and-a-half hours, my flight’s at 5, I’ve got to turn back’.
“For me, it’s not a big issue if it takes me two hours to go 10 miles. I’m going to come here anyway. But if I was a fan, and on Friday it took me two-and-a-half hours to go seven kilometres, I might think twice. That’s the problem. To me, it doesn’t matter. I’m coming here regardless. The fans have a choice, and they’ll probably choose events where it doesn’t take two-and-a-half hours to go seven kilometres.”
The situation was clearer on Saturday and Sunday, though queues remained even when leaving after 22:00, it taking half an hour to reach a pinch point just a kilometre or so away from the main gates.
The insouciance of the organisers also did not help while facilities for the media were also sub-par. It may seem a precious complaint but small setbacks – of which there were many – eventually add up.
One can only hope that, after shirking advice from others, Paul Ricard organisers learn from the debacle and have a smoother time in 2019.
Liked, not loved – but a grower?
The return of a historic Grand Prix to the calendar was a welcome affair but, logistics aside, the reaction to the circuit was relatively ambivalent, though with signs that it could gradually be more well-received.
The Provence region is stunningly beautiful, particularly in late spring/early summer, with an array of picturesque villages nestled in the hills, and relaxed and vibrant towns along the coast. Paul Ricard, though, is built on fairly arid landscape atop a plateau, while the track itself is covered by garish blue-and-red run-off, making it look a little like Yas Marina on TV. The circuit’s previous existence as a test track meant the multiple layouts were confusing, while the expanses meant the impression of speed was diminished. Media were at least taken on the F1 Experiences truck on Thursday evening in order to have a look at the circuit – which did help with identifying certain forgettable sections of track on TV.
“It’s still not my favourite [circuit],” said Hamilton after his win. “The location is one of my favourites. I think it’s really so beautiful down here and I’ve really enjoyed my week. I stay right close to the track and earlier in the week the weather was particularly spectacular but it was really great. It felt like… particularly when we did the drivers’ parade it felt like an older day race, when there were people everywhere, just surrounding the whole track.
"There are a lot of tracks we go to and the grandstands are not even half full, there’s massive long banks that are just empty. Today there was a lot of people here which is great. What I dislike is that they are so far away from the track, like you go to turn eleven and they’re like a mile away from… They must all have binoculars. Next year I’m going to bring a binocular stand ‘cos I’ll probably make a lot of money on it so people can watch. But no, there are a couple of bits on the track that I really like, like the more and more I drive it the more I was enjoying it, particularly like sector one, like turns one and two, when the wind is with you, it’s ***kin’ awesome."
