French GP Race Review: Ferrari just isn’t ready to win yet
French GP Race Review: Ferrari just isn't ready to win yet
Through the first 15 laps of the French Grand Prix, Max Verstappen appeared to be headed towards a second-place finish. However, after struggling to overtake the race’s early leader Charles Leclerc, Red Bull’s Dutchman was finally able to do so when Leclerc crashed. Verstappen took advantage of the opportunity provided to easily secure his seventh victory of 2022 and 27th of his career. With one race remaining before the summer break, his margin over Leclerc in the second position increased by 63 points to 233 points.
Did Ferrari make another bad strategy call?
Ferrari was criticised once more as fans questioned its strategy with Carlos Sainz.
The Spaniard made a strong comeback from the back of the grid and soon found himself in contention for a podium spot. Before Leclerc’s accident happened, Sainz advanced to fifth. Unfortunately, Ferrari released Sainz during pit stop directly in front of a Williams, resulting in a five-second penalty for an unsafe release.
Drivers who receive a time penalty have two options: they may complete the race and be punished later, or they can serve it the next time they pit during the race. Sainz persisted in his pursuit of the podium, overtaking George Russell before having a fight with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
However, the broadcast showed Ferrari telling Sainz to box as he started to pass Perez for the podium slot and overtake the Red Bull driver. Sainz was already past the pit entrance.
Due to the tyre’s life, Ferrari chose to pit him. According to Rueda, director of strategy, Sainz was using a medium tyre with a lifespan of around 25 laps. But there were still 35 to go after the safety car. Rueda said that once a driver’s tyre has reached the end of its functional life, they must take care of it by driving more slowly to prevent tyre failure.
Given that Sainz would have needed to finish the race on medium tyres, the time penalty also altered the team’s strategy for the final stint. Rueda claimed that Sainz couldn’t establish a five-second advantage over Russell and Perez, even though he had passed both of them.
Incredible comeback for Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton finished second in his 300th race. His teammate George Russell overtook Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez during a restart under a virtual safety car in the closing laps to give Mercedes their first double podium of the year.
Particularly after his early-season problems, Hamilton has improved and has now won the season’s last four races in a row. Russel, also referred to as Mr Consistency, is one of the most reliable drivers of the season.
Hamilton said that Verstappen was so quick and that he could only keep up with him for a few claps when asked by Motorsport.com whether he had any chance of keeping up with him after the race.
“Literally I’m full gas down the straight and he’s pulling away,” Hamilton said. “One of the biggest deficits was the straight line today. So if you’re losing four tenths, whatever it is, three tenths, on the straight, there’s nothing you can do about that.”
