In the author’s column for Formula1.nl, 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve summarized the results of the French Grand Prix…
Jacques Villeneuve: “Paul Ricard is often criticized, but I liked the French Grand Prix. It’s just a shame that the battle between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen didn’t take place. I understand the criticism of the track. There is no sense of speed on TV, not even in Signes, where the cars reach 300 km/h. Unfortunately, viewers don’t feel this.
The race turned out to be interesting, but could have been better. We had all the ingredients for a great battle under the blazing sun, Leclerc and Verstappen were not inferior to each other in speed, only Charles made a mistake he should not have made. He admits it himself.
In Austria he coped well with the pressure, in France he couldn’t. This is the difference – with Verstappen this does not happen. And even if Leclerc beats him, Max will finish second, and the gap that has already become huge cannot be regained.
This season two drivers with more or less equal cars are competing for the title, but one of them already has a big lead. This is a great example of how a title is missed.
Sainz was unhappy yesterday. First something went wrong at the pit stop and he got a penalty. Then he attacked Perez brilliantly, but indecision about the command bridge cost him points. He didn’t seem to have complete confidence in his team, but remember we only hear snippets of radio traffic. In addition, the team has data, they are aware of the condition of the tires. But if you want to call a rider into the pits, do it early to give him time to bounce back.
The Mercedes cars were very strong in the race, they have a lot of downforce, they work well with rubber in the long run. Russell was helped by a strange reboot after the Security Virtual Machine (VSC), although it was a software bug and not a human one. I am not a VSC fan and certainly not at the end of the race. I don’t understand why this system is used so much.
Finally, I would like to mention Fernando Alonso. The way he let McLaren wear out the tires of this team’s drivers, which helped Okon overtake Ricciardo, is an experience. That’s why Alonso is now in Formula 1.”
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
