FormulaSpy Logo
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Home
  • F1 News
  • F1 Calendar
  • F1 Standings
  • Drivers
  • Teams
  • Videos
  • Formula E
F1 Shop
F1 Shop
  • Home
  • F1 News
  • F1 Calendar
  • F1 Standings
  • Drivers
  • Teams
  • Videos
  • Formula E
F1 Shop
F1 Shop
No Result
View All Result
FormulaSpy Logo Mobile
No Result
View All Result

The post-race debrief: 2018 French Grand Prix

Luke Murphy by Luke Murphy
26th June 2018
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Octane Photographic Ltd.

Octane Photographic Ltd.

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterEmail

French Grand Prix – In a racier-than-expected affair at the Paul Ricard Circuit, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel had a nightmare start to effectively hand the championship lead to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, but what were the other talking points from the return of the French Grand Prix?

RELATED POSTS

Incredible lap from Fenestraz to seal debut pole

Cassidy ahead of Mortara in final practice

Zhou tops day 2 as Russell stops on track

Mercedes introduce “phase 2.1” power unit

Having originally planned to introduce their updated power units at the Canadian Grand Prix, Mercedes decided to delay the introduction of the new units until the French Grand Prix due to a quality control issue.

Many spent the first couple of days of the French Grand Prix weekend trying to figure out if Mercedes (and their customers) were sticking with their ‘spec 1′ units, or upgrading. Confirmation was received from Mercedes on Friday that not only were they updated power units, but they claimed that the time delay allowed them to make additional gains, hence why they labelled the PU as “phase 2.1” as opposed to simply “phase 2.0”.

It’s not known whether calling it “phase 2.1” was merely Mercedes’ way of covering up an error, but the team were making positive noises about the performances gains, which would’ve certainly helped them claim pole position.

The only potential blemish was the DNF for Force India’s Sergio Perez, who has a Mercedes PU in the back of his car. The car retired with a power-related issue, specifically a water pressure problem, and investigations will be ongoing into the exact cause of the retirement.

ADVERTISEMENT
Hamilton Bottas Mercedes French Grand Prix
Octane Photographic Ltd.

Traffic chaos sours fans’ F1 experience

The organisers of the French Grand Prix came under fire at the start of the weekend when many fans had difficulty in getting to the venue. Huge tailbacks were reported, and many fans were reporting on social media that they gave up after queuing for hours to get to the circuit.

The situation improved as the weekend progressed and more car parks were opened up, but many were still critical of the delays and the time taken to access the circuit.

Liberty Media and the organisers have already promised improvements for next year, but hopefully the incidnet hasn’t discouraged fans from turning up next season.

Red Bull falling from championship fight?

We’re only eight races in, but already it looks like the championships could be going the way of Mercedes and Ferrari. Red Bull were able to profit from a combative race to take second and fourth, a better result than they would’ve anticipated, but they continue to lose ground in the drivers’ and constructors’ championships. Ricciardo remains in third place, but he’s 49 points away from the new championship leader Hamilton, and Red Bull are 75 points behind Mercedes.

The team from Milton Keynes have recent history of hitting form in the second half of the season, but would any increase in pace come too late?

French Grand Prix Verstappen Red Bull
Octane Photographic Ltd.

Haas on the pace, but Romain remains without a point

After a couple of races where Haas threatened to lose touch with the front of the midfield, the VF-18 looked like the fastest midfield car at Paul Ricard.

Their major updates from Canada appeared to finally be delivering on-track performance, and Kevin Magnussen profited from an off-day for Valtteri Bottas to finish ahead of the Mercedes in sixth.

However, Romain Grosjean’s weekend ended up point-less. A crash in qualifying meant he started tenth, but he struggled to avoid the first-lap shenanigans; he gained damage and a five-second time penalty, resulting in an eleventh place finish.

Tags: FeaturesFrench Grand PrixLewis HamiltonMercedesPost-race DebriefTrending
ShareTweetSend
Previous Post

Extra DRS zone added at Red Bull Ring

Next Post

Billy Monger surprised with F1 car test in UK

Luke Murphy

Luke Murphy

As an FIA-accredited motor sport journalist, degree-level Motorsport Engineer and amateur karter, Luke's passion for motor sport is evident. He is one of the editors at FormulaSpy and one of the longest-standing members of the team.

Related Posts

Incredible lap from Fenestraz to seal debut pole
Formula E News

Incredible lap from Fenestraz to seal debut pole

25th February 2023
Cassidy ahead of Mortara in final practice
Formula E News

Cassidy ahead of Mortara in final practice

25th February 2023
Zhou tops day 2 as Russell stops on track
F1 News

Zhou tops day 2 as Russell stops on track

24th February 2023
Bahrain test 2023 – Day 2, afternoon
F1 News

Bahrain test 2023 – Day 2, afternoon

24th February 2023
Mortara fastest in Red Flag filled FP1
Formula E News

Mortara fastest in Red Flag filled FP1

24th February 2023
Bahrain test 2023 – Day 2, morning
F1 News

Bahrain test 2023 – Day 2, morning

24th February 2023
Next Post
Billy Monger surprised with F1 car test in UK

Billy Monger surprised with F1 car test in UK

Susie Wolff announced as Venturi team principal

Susie Wolff announced as Venturi team principal

Please login to join discussion

Latest News

Buemi quickest in Brazilian opening practice 

Buemi quickest in Brazilian opening practice 

24th March 2023
(FP1) First Practice Results – 2023 Sao Paulo E-Prix

(FP1) First Practice Results – 2023 Sao Paulo E-Prix

24th March 2023
McLaren announce big technical team shake up

McLaren announce big technical team shake up

23rd March 2023
Alonso reinstated to P3 after a review of his penalty

Alonso reinstated to P3 after a review of his penalty

20th March 2023
Perez dominates as Verstappen converts P15 to P2

Perez dominates as Verstappen converts P15 to P2

19th March 2023
Race Results – 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Race Results – 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

19th March 2023
Perez on pole as Verstappen hit with mechanical issues

Perez on pole as Verstappen hit with mechanical issues

18th March 2023
Qualifying Results – 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Qualifying Results – 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

18th March 2023
(FP3) Third Practice Results – 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Verstappen in a league of his own six tenths ahead in FP2

18th March 2023
(FP3) Third Practice Results – 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

(FP3) Third Practice Results – 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

18th March 2023

Recommended Stories

Verstappen seals Red Bull’s title despite pit stop chaos

Verstappen seals Red Bull’s title despite pit stop chaos

23rd October 2022
Da Costa fastest in practice for Monaco E-Prix

Da Costa fastest in practice for Monaco E-Prix

30th April 2022
Venturi pairs Nato with Mortara for season 7

Venturi pairs Nato with Mortara for season 7

17th October 2020

Popular Stories

  • F1 Formula 1 Haas 2021 livery Uralkali

    WADA confirm interest in Haas’ 2021 livery

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 2022 F1 calendar and pre-season testing dates

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Perez’s manager working on finding alternative seat for 2021’

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Analysis: Where has Ferrari’s speed gone?

    14 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 0
  • Updated – 2020 F1 Drivers, Teams and Driver Numbers

    40 shares
    Share 40 Tweet 0
FormulaSpy

Find the latest Formula 1 news, results & reactions!

FormulaSpy is an independent accredited F1 news site, based in Ireland.

LEARN MORE »

Recent Posts

  • Buemi quickest in Brazilian opening practice  24th March 2023
  • (FP1) First Practice Results – 2023 Sao Paulo E-Prix 24th March 2023
  • McLaren announce big technical team shake up 23rd March 2023

Follow us on Social Media

Follow FormulaSpy on your favourite social media channels!

Built with ❤ in Dublin, Ireland ☘ © 2023
The total or partial reproduction of text, photographs or illustrations is not permitted in any form.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • F1 News
  • F1 Calendar
  • F1 Standings
  • Drivers
  • Teams
  • Videos

Built with ❤ in Dublin, Ireland ☘ © 2023
The total or partial reproduction of text, photographs or illustrations is not permitted in any form.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In