2021 Race 7 - French Grand Prix

[F1nKS]

Ocon
Vettel
Gio
Russel

Out in Q2

[Tazio]

Fred pips Oc' again!

[Fortitude]

FORMULA 1 EMIRATES GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE 2021 - PRACTICE 1

https://www.formula1.com/en/results....ractice-1.html


FORMULA 1 EMIRATES GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE 2021 - PRACTICE 2

https://www.formula1.com/en/results....ractice-2.html


FORMULA 1 EMIRATES GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE 2021 - PRACTICE 3

https://www.formula1.com/en/results....ractice-3.html

[Fortitude]

FORMULA 1 EMIRATES GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE 2021 - QUALIFYING

https://www.formula1.com/en/results....ualifying.html


Verstappen beats title rival Hamilton to pole in thrilling French GP qualifying

Paul Ricard hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Red Bull in the past, but Max Verstappen ripped up the formbook in French Grand Prix qualifying to fend off title rival Lewis Hamilton and take sensational pole position.

The French track, which returned to the calendar in 2018, has traditionally been a Mercedes stronghold, with Hamilton taking pole and victory in each edition, but this time it was Red Bull who looked like the ones to beat.

Verstappen set the early pace in Q3, four tenths of a second quicker than Hamilton, but things heated up in the second runs as Hamilton went quickest in the first sector. Verstappen responded with a purple second and final sector to better his time and take his second pole of the season.

Read MORE here;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...wj8UQdnxv.html


I wonder what McLaren are thinking at this moment in time, after previously dumping the Honda works engine?

I wonder what Ron Dennis is thinking, after McLaren dumped him, due in part, to the politics surrounding the Honda engine contractual arrangements?

[Nitrodaze]

What a race this is going to be tomorrow. The race win hangs on Redbull's race pace and tyre management. The Redbull typically gets off the line better than the Mercedes, but that would not stop Hamilton from trying to steal the lead into the first corner. It is one of those races that could be electrifying or a snooze fest. I hope we get some Hamilton vs Verstappen battles tomorrow. Bottas and Perez shall be duking it out just behind but l would not be surprised if one of them gets in the mix of the fight for the lead.

[F1nKS]

1. Max
2. Lewis
3. Bottas
4. Perez
5. Sainz
6. Gasly
7. Leclerc
8. Norris
9. Alonzo
10. Ricciardo

[F1nKS]

What a race this is going to be tomorrow. The race win hangs on Redbull's race pace and tyre management. The Redbull typically gets off the line better than the Mercedes, but that would not stop Hamilton from trying to steal the lead into the first corner. It is one of those races that could be electrifying or a snooze fest. I hope we get some Hamilton vs Verstappen battles tomorrow. Bottas and Perez shall be duking it out just behind but l would not be surprised if one of them gets in the mix of the fight for the lead.

It will be interesting to see if Hamilton just plays the long game (it seems Mercedes does have superior race pace) or does he try and strike at the start.

If does play it aggressive, it could mean that Bottas/Perez are fighting for the win.

[Nitrodaze]

We all said Bottas need to raise his game this weekend, well he heard us and come out strong this weekend. All he has to do to keep Mercedes happy is to keep Perez behind and play a vital role in the pit strategy.

What about Gasly? sixth in that Alpha Tauri, wow. Sainz looking strong this weekend as well.

If Redbull win either or both championship, l can't help thinking that it would be an F1M assisted triumph, and all the conspiracy theories swirling in my head. Like who got paid to bring this about.

[Bagwan]

We all said Bottas need to raise his game this weekend, well he heard us and come out strong this weekend. All he has to do to keep Mercedes happy is to keep Perez behind and play a vital role in the pit strategy.

What about Gasly? sixth in that Alpha Tauri, wow. Sainz looking strong this weekend as well.

If Redbull win either or both championship, l can't help thinking that it would be an F1M assisted triumph, and all the conspiracy theories swirling in my head. Like who got paid to bring this about.

Bottas took Hamilton's car for a drive this time and still couldn't out-qualify him , even though Lewis wasn't happy with the old Bottas car .

Don't panic yet , Daze-man .
There might be some manipulation going on , but Merc is the puppet master here , not F1M .
They are just trying to scare you a little before the ultimate triumph over the worthy opponents .

Exciting , eh ?

[Nitrodaze]

Bottas took Hamilton's car for a drive this time and still couldn't out-qualify him , even though Lewis wasn't happy with the old Bottas car .

Don't panic yet , Daze-man .
There might be some manipulation going on , but Merc is the puppet master here , not F1M .
They are just trying to scare you a little before the ultimate triumph over the worthy opponents .

Exciting , eh ?

Do you remember what it was like at the end of the Schumacher era? It was kind of like this actually. Everyone thought Ferrari would bounce back, but somehow they didn't. Renault sneaked away with two championship wins.

I think there have been some fundamental changes to the Mercedes chassis. For a start, it now has a rake. Converting a low rake car to a high rake car would certainly mess with the fundamentals of the original architecture of the car. We hear of chassis swapping and performance characteristics of the car have obviously dropped below what we saw at Barcelona. They are trying new things and may well find an answer at some point.

But it would not be respectful to Redbull to not acknowledge that they are genuinely the faster car and Mercedes are playing catchup. If Redbull wins at Paul Ricard, they are very much set to win the triple header. Which would effectively set the stage for a Redbull and Verstappen championship win.

This is not a drill, this is real.