Mercedes brought their delayed
engine upgrade to France, complete with “added goodness” and Lewis Hamilton
took full advantage converting pole position into a commanding victory in the
returning French Grand Prix as his chief title rival Sebastian Vettel made life
hard for himself.
Hamilton was back to his brilliant
best in qualifying and proceeded to dominate the race, crossing the line seven
seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen
completing the podium. With Vettel finishing down in fifth, Hamilton convincingly
reclaimed the lead in the drivers’ standings.
Ricciardo took fourth, well clear
of Vettel, while Sainz was set for a brilliant sixth before suffering a power
problem with three laps to go. Kevin Magnussen in the Haas and Bottas slipped
by but Sainz held on to eighth, ahead of Renault team mate Nico Hulkenberg. Charles
Leclerc rose as high as sixth at the start and though his challenge faded, he
drove brilliantly to take 10th for Sauber – his fourth points finish in five
races. Romain Grosjean was the best-placed home driver, finishing just outside
the points for Haas in 11th, the Frenchman having picked up a five-second time
penalty for contact with compatriot Ocon on the run to Turn 1 at the start.
Force
India's Sergio Perez retired with an engine problem, while Williams' Lance
Stroll’s front-left tyre failed with a couple of laps remaining, spraying
debris across the track and sparking a virtual safety car that ended with just
half a lap to go. It was win number three of 2018 for Hamilton, who now
leads the championship by 14 points from Vettel, while Mercedes’ advantage over
Ferrari in the constructors’ standings swelled by four points to 23 with 13
races still remaining.
No comments:
Post a Comment