2022 Formula One French Grand Prix

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Haas F1 Formula One Grand Prix.jpg
Formula 1 is on track this weekend for the French Grand Prix with Ferrari looking to repeat the impressive pace shown in Austria last time out.

Circuit Paul Ricard may not be the most well-loved track on the F1 calendar, but it could prove to be an important showcase of whether Ferrari is finally able to keep pace with Red Bull again.

The first races of the 2022 season seemed to indicate that Ferrari would be the dominant car this year, but momentum quickly shifted to Max Verstappen and Red Bull. But the tide may have turned once again, as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s Ferraris looked like the faster team two weeks ago in Austria.

Sainz would retire late in the race due to engine trouble, and Leclerc also faced mechanical issues before securing the victory in Spielberg, so success in Ferrari’s near future may come down to reliability as much as pace.

Austria also saw Mercedes drive Lewis Hamilton on the podium for the third consecutive race amidst a tough season for the seven-time world champion. Mercedes is once again expected to introduce significant upgrades to their cars over the coming weeks and hopes to put Hamilton or George Russell to the top of the podium for the first time in 2022.

Max Verstappen and Red Bull are in front in the drivers and constructors championship at the moment, though Leclerc was able to shrink the gap to Verstappen with his most recent win.

The French Grand Prix should see clear weather throughout the weekend, though temperatures could be hotter than usual. This could mean extra challenges for tire selection and preservation during the race.

Who do you think will win the French Grand Prix this year? Let us know your prediction in the comments below.

Picture: Haas F1 Twitter
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Mike Smith
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

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Comments

Jayblue
Premium
At the moment Leclerc is making far too many mistakes and this is further compounded by Ferrari and their poor race management. Why do they always try to do something different when they could have just pitted before Verstappen and maintained track position? It was clear that overtaking was very difficult so track position was king.

Verstappen also made it to the end pretty easily on the hard tyre after all. The pit call for Sainz was laughable, what on earth where they thinking?

A controlled display from Verstappen who seems to be reflecting a changed mindset in comparison to last year. Nice to see both the Mercedes on the podium, especially after they beat Perez in a straight fight. I liked Russels cheeky VSC restart too.
 
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D
Jayblue said:
At the moment Leclerc is making far too many mistakes and this is further compounded by Ferrari and their poor race management. Why do they always try to do something different when they could have just pitted before Verstappen and maintained track position? It was clear that overtaking was very difficult so track position was king.

Verstappen also made it to the end pretty easily on the hard tyre after all. The pit call for Sainz was laughable, what on earth where they thinking?

A controlled display from Verstappen who seems to be reflecting a changed mindset in comparison to last year. Nice to see both the Mercedes on the podium, especially after they beat Perez in a straight fight. I liked Russels cheeky VSC restart too.
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Sainz was on the same medium that was blistering for LeClerc just before his crash. (slo-mo showed Carlos' tire was also blistering) I think they made the safe call to ensure Sainz would reach the end. Also, this allowed Carlos to take the fast lap from Max and saved that point from adding to Charles' deficit.
 
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ZuneGuy
With the W13 working as it should I don't think there is any question who is the better driver. Hamilton has done more with the car in the last four races consecutively than Russell has done in the whole first half of the season.
 
Badwheels
LinkedIn just sent me a notification for a job opening.

"Dynamic individual sought for a high profile, decision making position. Ferrari is seeking a Chief Race Strategist for the Formula 1 team. Compensation includes competitive salary, bonus, generous vacation.

The candidate must exhibit the following competency for consideration. The ability to walk and chew gum at the same time. Proof of certification is required. "

:whistling::whistling:
 
muzikant
Badwheels said:
LinkedIn just sent me a notification for a job opening.

"Dynamic individual sought for a high profile, decision making position. Ferrari is seeking a Chief Race Strategist for the Formula 1 team. Compensation includes competitive salary, bonus, generous vacation.

The candidate must exhibit the following competency for consideration. The ability to walk and chew gum at the same time. Proof of certification is required. "

:whistling::whistling:
Click to expand...
you can also charge Leclerc he made the mistake himself ;)
 
Richard Wilks
ZuneGuy said:
With the W13 working as it should I don't think there is any question who is the better driver. Hamilton has done more with the car in the last four races consecutively than Russell has done in the whole first half of the season.
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Oh, i didnt know championships are called in 4 races. Wait until the end of the year to count the points :)
 
LeSunTzu
Ferrari guys are looking silly, but Leclerc crashed on his own. No wonder Verstappen looks in full control; so far Leclerc seems to be unable to mount a challenge as serious as Hamilton last year. I hope Leclerc changes whatever he needs to change to quickly come back stronger or the title will be decided sooner than later. Last year after 12 races there were 3 points between Max and Lewis; this year it's 63. :confused:
 
D
Charles LeClerc during interview, post crash.
"All I need to do is eliminate these mistakes. I just need to...OH LOOK FLOWERS!!!"
 
ZuneGuy
Richard Wilks said:
Oh, i didnt know championships are called in 4 races. Wait until the end of the year to count the points :)
Click to expand...
I didn't say one word about a Championship, or the end of the season, I'm talking about the last four races, and since the car isn't bouncing anymore Lewis looks like the stronger driver, and so the universe has realigned itself.
 
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azaralamouri
Front teams in front isn't a new story.

Stories instead:

Norris alone = Mclaren.
Riccardo going low-profile after being funny and lovable.


The white-and-red cars confusing us for belonging to the front once and the rear another.
K-Mag: Hero or bad?
Bottas: A high score despite finishing outside the points every race?

Alfa Tauri drivers losing composure after Gasly was regarded as a world-class driver.
 
azaralamouri
azaralamouri said:
Stories instead:
Click to expand...
My stories are ones that swim against the stream.

Example is when I see all the media and thousands of people acting cult and being overprotective about a driver. Disregarding all the struggle everyone else has been through and acting as if no other parents worked hard on earth. I start to want to open their eyes and tell them that no one is any more-than-though, sacred or holy.

Another example is when I read loads of bad talk and negative comments about Saudi Arabia GP, Bahrian, Abu Dhabi (or even Dubai or Qatar circuits for endurance or MotoGP), I feel I want to tell people that Arab or Muslim people are normal people like yourself. Why demand to deprive them from racing only because of their religion or culture?

Another concrete example is when people over-praise a young underdog driver. I also try to put things into its real scale. Mick Schumacher or Zhou Guan Yu. People exaggerate how good they are as soon as those drivers score a point.

And the final example (after talking too much non-sense), I wanted to say that I think that Leclerc doesn't deserve all that hate today. I don't need to mention all his bright moments or remind you with his achievements. You all know them, he's a great driver on track and a polite person to his team and the others off track.

All that talk does not decrease how great some drivers I think are, or how much I want some tracks in some countries to move forward, or how happy I am for underdogs improving or how high standards I think top drivers like Charles should be held to. I just tend to say the "unsaid".
 
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T
Premium
ZuneGuy said:
With the W13 working as it should I don't think there is any question who is the better driver. Hamilton has done more with the car in the last four races consecutively than Russell has done in the whole first half of the season.
Click to expand...
Not only this, but Lewis was using experimental setups for the entire first half of this season due to the new design of the car. He was helping them research and develop for the new regulations.

Russell is new to the team so they gave him stable setups so he could become familiar with the team and build his confidence by finally being ahead of the midfield and no longer being a back marker.

Now that Lewis is running the "ideal" setups, the difference between them is apparent. This isn't a slight to Russell. He's a good driver. Passing Checo isn't easy, you can even ask Lewis about that lol. But obviously he's no Lewis Hamilton. And that's not a bad thing... Even Max Verstappen would have to have all the stars align in order to win a staggering 7 world championships. And that's even crazier when you consider Lewis would've been a 9-time winner if he had 1 more point in 2007 and didn't get screwed by the stewards/Masi in Abu Dhabi 2021.
 
muzikant
TedBrosby- said:
Not only this, but Lewis was using experimental setups for the entire first half of this season due to the new design of the car. He was helping them research and develop for the new regulations.

Russell is new to the team so they gave him stable setups so he could become familiar with the team and build his confidence by finally being ahead of the midfield and no longer being a back marker.

Now that Lewis is running the "ideal" setups, the difference between them is apparent. This isn't a slight to Russell. He's a good driver. Passing Checo isn't easy, you can even ask Lewis about that lol. But obviously he's no Lewis Hamilton. And that's not a bad thing... Even Max Verstappen would have to have all the stars align in order to win a staggering 7 world championships. And that's even crazier when you consider Lewis would've been a 9-time winner if he had 1 more point in 2007 and didn't get screwed by the stewards/Masi in Abu Dhabi 2021.
Click to expand...
it's always funny to read the Lewis fans...let's just wait the season until it's over and then see the score between Russell vs Hamilton. It's Russell's first year in a top team, writing him off like that is going a bit far. Mercedes has piggybacked on Ferrari's mistakes and Perez was just bad yesterday to finish behind the Mercedes with a car like that. normally Merc should be in 5th place Sorry but the seven world titles will almost all be attributed to the car with no competition around and team mates like Bottas not good enough. funny also that Lewis fans keep crying about AbuDhabi.. I understand the disappointment but it does not detract from Verstappen's performance. They have tried to break Max but he has shown that he is a young man cold as ice.
 
Zolazem
Premium
TedBrosby- said:
Not only this, but Lewis was using experimental setups for the entire first half of this season due to the new design of the car. He was helping them research and develop for the new regulations.

Russell is new to the team so they gave him stable setups so he could become familiar with the team and build his confidence by finally being ahead of the midfield and no longer being a back marker.

Now that Lewis is running the "ideal" setups, the difference between them is apparent. This isn't a slight to Russell. He's a good driver. Passing Checo isn't easy, you can even ask Lewis about that lol. But obviously he's no Lewis Hamilton. And that's not a bad thing... Even Max Verstappen would have to have all the stars align in order to win a staggering 7 world championships. And that's even crazier when you consider Lewis would've been a 9-time winner if he had 1 more point in 2007 and didn't get screwed by the stewards/Masi in Abu Dhabi 2021.
Click to expand...

Can you give me the number of your dealer?
 
Celestiale
Guess the championship fight is over. Which is almost funny if you ask me.
Ferrari has the fastest car and the best driver pairing (alongside Mercedes).
But they still have no chance against Red Bull.

Their car is unreliable, their best driver is bloody bloody fast but can't cope with the pressure and their strategy is an absolute joke. One of these aspects alone can be enough to cost a team the championship if there is a second good team, but Ferrari bottles all 3 of them. If they don't pay attention, they won't even be second by the end of the season.
 
muzikant
TedBrosby- said:
Not only this, but Lewis was using experimental setups for the entire first half of this season due to the new design of the car. He was helping them research and develop for the new regulations.

Russell is new to the team so they gave him stable setups so he could become familiar with the team and build his confidence by finally being ahead of the midfield and no longer being a back marker.

Now that Lewis is running the "ideal" setups, the difference between them is apparent. This isn't a slight to Russell. He's a good driver. Passing Checo isn't easy, you can even ask Lewis about that lol. But obviously he's no Lewis Hamilton. And that's not a bad thing... Even Max Verstappen would have to have all the stars align in order to win a staggering 7 world championships. And that's even crazier when you consider Lewis would've been a 9-time winner if he had 1 more point in 2007 and didn't get screwed by the stewards/Masi in Abu Dhabi 2021.
Click to expand...
Russell is new to the team so they gave him stable setups ..................

do you really think this?
 
Damage Inc
muzikant said:
Russell is new to the team so they gave him stable setups ..................

do you really think this?
Click to expand...
I'd imagine there's a kernel of truth there, just as there's kernel of truth Mclaren favoured Lewis over Alonso in 2007.
 
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Antony Snook
I like track a bit like Saudi Arabia without tight walls. I don't like the stripes of paint though. Looks bad on TV and can hipnotise fans and drivers. But we need a French GP as so mutch of France is the sport's true home. But there is not much choice. Magny Cours i liked but drivers did not, Dijon probably lack's infrastructure for a Grandprix. Pau was a stupid street circuit. So Paul Richard is the place to go.
 
ZuneGuy
muzikant said:
it's always funny to read the Lewis fans...let's just wait the season until it's over and then see the score between Russell vs Hamilton. It's Russell's first year in a top team, writing him off like that is going a bit far. Mercedes has piggybacked on Ferrari's mistakes and Perez was just bad yesterday to finish behind the Mercedes with a car like that. normally Merc should be in 5th place Sorry but the seven world titles will almost all be attributed to the car with no competition around and team mates like Bottas not good enough. funny also that Lewis fans keep crying about AbuDhabi.. I understand the disappointment but it does not detract from Verstappen's performance. They have tried to break Max but he has shown that he is a young man cold as ice.
Click to expand...
There isn't a driver in the history of the sport who didn't have a winning car, but when you get into it t's what you do with it is all that matters. Also as a driver you have to make the right choices in your career for you to succeed and Lewis has done that with perfection. He's also the only driver that I have ever seen who brings out a drivers weaknesses and makes them pretty much look bad.

I mean he's the only driver that I have ever seen who is so good that the sport itself had to step in to keep him from winning another WDC. That's unprecedented stuff.

Now as far as this season in the last four races Lewis has looked much better than Russell since the cars stability issues have been ironed out. in fact Russell has been involved in some kind of on-track incident in four races in a row, including yesterday while Hamilton has gotten more out of the car in those races. No one is writing Russel off, we just have eyes to see what's up. What you don't understand is that Lewis has been driving behind Russel all season to gather feedback for the team, and it has been paying off.
 
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