French Grand Prix 2019
Unfortunately for many SBOBET Formula One fans, the French Grand Prix had neither the controversy nor the competitiveness of the Canadian Grand Prix.
But Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton supporters did get to see another utterly dominant performance from the reigning world champion, who strolled to his fourth win in a row and the Silver Arrows’ eighth in eight races this season.
The possible challenge posed by Red Bull never quite materialised despite their new Honda upgrade. And after his promising showing in Montreal, Sebastian Vettel slipped down to fifth as his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc outperformed him and reached the podium for the second race running.
Most French Grand Prix 2019 predictions had Hamilton coming out on top once again in France. But after a challenging last couple of races, few could have foreseen the ease with which he would pick up the win.
Highlights of the game
Hamilton hasn’t exactly been at his best in qualifying this year, with team-mate Valtteri Bottas claiming three pole positions to his two heading into the French GP. But just like in last year’s race, Hamilton got the better of the Finn in France as he started out on pole.
Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed in Row 2, while the McLarens of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz were surprisingly both ahead of Vettel, who was all the way down in Row 4 after finishing a disappointing seventh.
When the race began, Hamilton wasted little time building up his lead with a succession of fastest laps. Meanwhile, it didn’t take too long for Vettel to overtake both McLarens in order to move up to fifth.
But aside from that, there was were few notable French Grand Prix 2019 highlights during the first 20 laps of the race. The first wave of pit stops arrived shortly thereafter, although there wasn’t much drama with this as well. Hamilton’s pit was perfect, clocking in at just 2.2 seconds as he returned in the lead.
There was finally some sort of battle brewing for second place between Bottas and Leclerc. But the Mercedes man was more than up to the challenge.
Perhaps the only significant piece of drama from the latter part of the race had to do with who got to take the extra point for the fastest lap. With Hamilton holding back to preserve his tyres, it was there for the taking. Leclerc and Bottas were both in contention as they picked up the pace in the final few laps.
Meanwhile, Vettel went back into the pits late in the race for a tyre change in order to claim that vital point. That move does eventually pay off as Vettel claimed the fastest lap upon finishing fifth.
As for Hamilton, he took the chequered flag a full minute earlier after another spectacular drive. Bottas came in second a full 18 seconds behind as he withstood a late charge from Leclerc.
Key Statistics
It’s been just two races since France’s return to the F1 calendar, but Hamilton has certainly felt right at home at the Circuit Paul Ricard. The Brit has led all but one lap since the race’s return last year.
Meanwhile, Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas has now finished in the top five in 20 consecutive F1 races. But after a strong start to the season, the Finn has not been in front of Hamilton in any of the last four races.
Max Verstappen, who ended up in fourth, has a similar streak going. The Dutchman has finished inside the top five in each and every race thus far this season.
Hamilton and Bottas’ one-two finish was their first in three races and Mercedes’ 50th in F1 history. The two had begun the season going one-two in the first five races, setting a new record for the most consecutive one-two finishes to start an F1 campaign.
Mercedes have also claimed their 10th win in a row, which matches their best-ever run of consecutive wins. They are now just one win away from McLaren’s F1 record of 11 straight wins set in 1988.
What’s next?
There won’t be a week off between races this time around as F1 returns next weekend for the Austrian Grand Prix. Verstappen is the defending champion in this race as he snapped Mercedes’ four-year reign since the race’s return in 2014.
Hamilton, who had to retire in last year’s race, has not had the best record at the Red Bull Ring. He owns only one of Mercedes’ four wins at the track after Bottas won back in 2017 and Nico Rosberg went back-to-back in 2014-15.
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