French Grand Prix – Free Practice 1: Bottas in the lead

After being absent from the calendar in 2019 due to Covid19, Paul Ricard is finally back. This is excellent news for French motorsport fans as spectators are allowed there.

From the start of the session, a yellow flag is triggered by Mick Schumacher who loses the rear of his Haas at turn 3. Just a few seconds later, Yuki Tsunoda spins at the exit of the last corner of the circuit.

After 16 minutes of session, a huge plume of smoke at the exit of the Beausset fast right alerted us to a potential new incident for a driver. And it was Sebastian Vettel who came to crush his rear wing into the barriers.

Some minor mishaps that can be explained by the fact that it is the first time the cars are racing on the circuit this weekend, so the grip is not yet optimal.

If the start of the session was dominated by Red Bull drivers, the two Mercedes drivers woke up after 30 minutes and are at the top of the time sheet with Valtteri Bottas leading, three tenths ahead of his teammate.

With his last victory dating back to September 2020, the Finn aims to impress Mercedes in an attempt to convince Toto Wolff to keep him next year.

The first driver in the midfield in 5th place is none other than the Frenchman Esteban Ocon. Currently testing the new power steering system and having a brand new contract until 2024, the Alpine driver has all the weapons to impress at home this weekend.

Practice 1 classification