The 2019 French Formula 1 Grand Prix wasn't very exciting compared to last years venue. The winner Lewis Hamilton did more or less the same. Hamilton again dominated, started from pole and led the whole race to the finish, just like last year. This time we didn't see the collisions that made last years race more interesting from a spectators point of view.
The Vettel F1 saga that started 2 weeks ago at the Canadian GP at last ended just before the start of the 2019 French GP. Unfortunately the final result of this French GP also was influenced by 5 second penalties for Daniel Ricciardo's pass on Kimi Raikkonen in the last lap where he left the track with 4 wheels. It's been the 3rd time in a row now that the final classification has been changed because of time penalties.
The Mercedes team has proven to be unbeatable until now this season. The two drivers of the German car brand Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have won all 8 races up to now and even scored six 1-2 finishes which is very remarkable.
The Mercedes team already has 338 points in total. They have 140 more points already than runner-up Scuderia Ferrari. The are very much on track of scoring their 6th constructors F1 title in a row. Just like Ferrari did 15 years ago (1999-2004)
Ferrari had brought new upgrades to La Castellet, but they didn't bring the much needed pace improvement and made the gap even bigger to winning the championship title.
Red Bull Racing also didn't close the gap to Mercedes. The Austrian team got a new power unit spec from Honda, but looks to be going backwards instead of forewards on thier pace. Max Verstappen did finish a fine 4th, but his teammate Pierre Gasly couldn't get the same pace out of the RB15 and even finished outside the points on P11. If Ricciardo would not have got his penalty he would have stayed there.
We have summed up the drivers and team principal comments after the 2019 French Formula 1 Grand Prix for you to make live easy
Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport
Lewis Hamilton (finished 1st, started on P1)
Lewis Hamilton
"I’ve been racing a long, long time but this just never gets old. It’s always a challenge out there and I just love trying to find the edge, and really being on top of this machine. This is actually an awesome track to drive in the race, there’s some really technical areas.
It may look easy from the outside but it wasn’t easy at all, everything’s always on the edge. So, when I could, I was saving tyres, saving the engine, saving fuel. I had quite big blisters on my front tyres which I was a little worried about. But we got to the end and I couldn’t do it without this incredible team. I’m so proud of everyone and so proud to be part of this group of people. This has been the best start of the year so we have got to enjoy it."
Valtteri Bottas
"It was a fairly quiet race in the end. The start was my best bet, but Lewis also had a good start, so the opportunity wasn’t there. Lewis was very quick today; I was trying to keep up, but my front tyres were starting to fall into pieces, both on the Mediums and at the end on the Hard tyres towards the end as well.
We were concerned with the blistering we saw in the last part of the race, so I had to back off a little bit. There was definitely a bit of margin left, but we wanted to be on the safe side and make it to the end. But ultimately, Lewis had the pace advantage today and kept the tyres in better shape, so it's something for me to have a look at and learn. I’m really proud of the work we’ve done as a team, scoring another 1-2 is a great result."
Toto Wolff - Team Principal
Toto Wolff
"In terms of car and driver performance today, that was one of our best of the season. Lewis drove a really good race, he was in complete control at the front and it was a truly faultless performance by him.
Valtteri struggled a little in the second stint and he lost a chunk of time under the VSC towards the end, so Charles could get very close in the end. I am really pleased for the team this weekend, it’s been a tough few weeks with a lot of long days, but we are relentless and will continue to push.
To score another 1-2 finish is an incredible result and a credit to all the hard work and effort of this team. Now, we look to Austria, which is coming home for me. It’s a power track there and we have been a bit marginal on cooling. It’s meant to be very warm there, so we expect this to be a much harder fight."
Scuderia Ferrari
Charles Leclerc on the podium in France (2019)
“Overall, this weekend was pretty positive. I’m pleased I was able to fight for second place right at the end, even if I never had a real chance to attack Valtteri. I am satisfied because we managed to maximise the potential of the car.
It was about time, because after a few so-so weekends, everything went smoothly right from the start of free practice and then in qualifying and the race, where our strategy was perfect both in terms of the timing of the pit stop and our tyre management in the second part of the race.
I believe hard work always pays off and I feel we proved that this weekend. Now we go straight to Austria where I hope we can maintain this same good form.”
Sebastian Vettel
“I had a pretty lonely race, apart from a bit of confusion at the start, given that the timing of the lights going out caught us a bit by surprise. It was fun fighting with the McLarens, first Norris then Carlos. The first stint went pretty well and that meant I could close the gap to Charles and Max. Then in the second one, I had a few more balance problems and I didn’t feel totally comfortable with the car.
I think today’s fifth place was the most we could have done, given that Charles, Max and me were all running at pretty much the same pace. At least getting the fastest race lap means I get an extra point.
We still need to understand why Friday was so complicated with some of the parts we brought here not working as we had hoped. Our car is not yet strong enough and it’s down to us to improve. We still don’t have the pace to beat Mercedes, but I know that everyone at Maranello is working with so much positive pressure – and passion.”
Mattia Binotto - Team Principal
Mattia Binotto
“It was rather a straightforward race, the end result being that Charles maintained his start position all the way to the end. Sebastian managed to shake off the McLarens as we had hoped and then ran a strong race, keeping a consistent pace, on a par with those ahead of him. When Verstappen pitted, we kept Seb out for a few more laps, given that the tyres were difficult to manage and were likely to suffer with significant degradation in the closing stages, as we saw on the Mercedes. Therefore every extra lap we stayed out would mean having fresher tyres towards the end and that could have been important in terms of giving us a chance to beat Max.
In terms of performance, we are not yet where we want to be. We knew this circuit would be tough for us and to finish with Charles right behind Bottas is encouraging.
The developments we have introduced since the Spanish GP have allowed us to close the gap and we have shown that we are on the right path. Some of these updates have proved to be very useful, others unfortunately less so, but we know that we have potential to improve significantly. At this point, we are confident, aware that there is still a lot to do, but that we have the ability to develop the car and to be competitive on all tracks.”
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen (finished 4th, started on P4)
Max Verstappen
“The race was a bit lonely at times but it wasn’t boring as I had Charles in sight which was good motivation to keep trying to match his lap times. You have to keep pushing yourself even if there aren’t cars that you are directly fighting.
I always want to see how fast we can go and push as much as possible. In the second stint, we were looking quite good but with six or seven laps to go I ran out of rear grip and I couldn’t really rely on the rear tyres anymore. I think it took a bit too much out of my tyres trying to keep up with Charles early in the race but I’m pleased to be in front of one Ferrari and finish fourth on a track that doesn’t really suit us.
The target is always to win but it was not possible here today and I got the most out of the package. We have made a small step this weekend but we still need to work on all elements to fight for victories.”
Pierre Gasly (finished 10th, started on P9)
Pierre Gasly
“It was a long, difficult day and I’m disappointed, especially being here in France. From qualifying, I have struggled for grip and it was the same in the race.
At the moment I don’t have the answer but I’m sure we will analyse everything to understand exactly why we lacked pace. I tried to do everything I could inside the cockpit but I could not push the car as I was sliding a lot.
I have never really felt the car like this and with Austria next, we will have to quickly work hard with the guys to come back and put everything together for the next race. Honda are pushing hard and for sure they are developing so this is a positive.”
Christian Horner - Team Principal
Christian Horner
“It was a good drive by Max again and splitting the Ferraris was the maximum we could do today. With the heat, the tyres were always going to make for a bit of a marginal one stop race, so Max managed the situation very well to come home in P4, his fifth fourth position of the year.
For Pierre, his first stint on the soft tyre was pretty good and he held P8 with relative ease, managing to go longer than anyone expected. The mechanics completed an incredibly fast pit stop which got him back out ahead of Daniel who was trying to get the undercut. Unfortunately, on the hard tyre Pierre just didn’t have any pace and slipped down the order. Finishing P11 is frustrating as we are outside the points, so we will check everything on his car to ensure there are no hidden issues.”
McLaren F1 Team
Carlos Sainz (finished 6th, started on P6)
Carlos Sainz Jr.
“Very happy after a strong and well-executed race. I made another good start and once I was in P6 I controlled the race, controlled the pace, and drove to the target lap times the team was giving me to manage the tyres. It was a simple race from that point of view and one of those days where everything comes together and produces the maximum result available, so well done to everyone.
“We were definitely the fourth fastest car this weekend – in qualifying and the race – so happy with that. Congratulations to the team for the hard work all weekend and for another double points finish. We just need to keep pushing hard to improve at every race.”
Lando Norris (finished 9th, started on P5)
Lando Norris
“I had a good start, same as the guys ahead of me. Being on the inside, I got boxed in and Carlos managed to go around the outside, which was something I couldn’t have done from my starting position on the inside. The rest of the race was good, I had good pace and was just managing the gap to Carlos to protect my tyres for later in the race.
“A hydraulic issue, around 20 laps from the finish, cost me a lot of time and made the car really hard to drive. The steering wheel went really heavy and I lost the power steering. It was really tough, I did my best not to lose places but it was too much of an issue to hang on as I had lost so much pace. Still, one point, considering everything, is a good result as it could have been much worse. Great job by the team all weekend and everyone back at the factory to give us both such a quick car.”
Andreas Seidl - Team Principal
Andreas Seidle
“Congratulations to our entire team, at the track and back home in Woking, plus of course the drivers. It’s been our best weekend of the season and it was encouraging to see our car performing well from the first practice session until the end of the race. This gives us good momentum to keep pushing flat out as the pendulum of performance swings between teams from circuit to circuit.
“Carlos and Lando both did a great job managing the tyres over the distance. It was unfortunate that Lando lost positions on the final lap but he and the engineers did very well to battle through the second half of the race after a hydraulic issue arose affecting gear shifting, braking and steering.”
Renault F1 Team
Nico Hulkenberg (finished 8th, started on P13)
Nico Hulkenberg
“We made a good recovery today and it’s pleasing to be in the top ten again. Maybe it could have been a different race had we qualified slightly higher, but thirteenth to ninth is a strong effort. I was pushing all race, but I was stuck in traffic and this place is difficult for overtaking.
I had pace in hand today, which shows on race day we’re strong. The last few laps were really fun; it was tight and exciting and I was happy to make up some places there. We’ve demonstrated that our race pace is there, but we have something to find on one-lap pace.”
Daniel Ricciardo
“It’s clearly disappointing to drop outside the points with a post-race penalty, especially at the team’s home race. The last lap was a lot of fun, we had a fight and I enjoyed it. I’d rather give it a go than not try at all, and I’m sure the French fans and the people at home liked watching.
It’s a shame to be penalised for it, but we’ll aim to move on from that as quickly as possible. In terms of the race, I feel like I missed out a little bit at the start, especially after a really good launch off the line. I braked too early for turn one and that was too conservative looking back. That made the rest of the race hard work, but we kept it clean and smooth from there. There are still a lot of positives to take and we’ll be looking for an immediate response in Austria.”
Cyril Abiteboul - Team Principal
Cyril Abiteboul
“The Renault-engined cars certainly tried to bring this Grand Prix to life. With P7 and P9, I think we finished in the best positions at the flag considering our starting positions and I am sure that’s what the fans will take away. Daniel didn’t have the best of starts but fought back thanks to a well thought out strategy and aggressive drive. Nico stayed on Kimi’s gearbox throughout the race and was quicker, but not enough to make a move stick.
The 10 second-penalty imposed to Daniel means that he dropped out of the points. It is disappointing as it was probably the most thrilling point of an otherwise uneventful race, with four great drivers fighting safely and fiercely in the last corners. With all the challenges to overtake cars on-track it is another demonstration that qualifying is the defining part of the weekend and our focus point for improvement.”
Alfa Romeo Racing
Kimi Räikkönen (finished 7th, started on P13)
Kimi Raikkonen
“I was a bit disappointed to miss out on Q3 yesterday, but we knew it would be much better to start on different tyres than the softs, and so it was. I didn’t make the best start but luckily I didn’t lose too much on the straight and I could fight back in the next few corners.
We were in a strong position after the start, on the hard tyres, but I had to hold back Hülkenberg the whole race. It was a great battle with the Renaults for most of the afternoon and in the end I was able to catch up with the cars in front. The last few laps were very intense and it was good fun. It’s really good that we could fight against other cars in the midfield and be up there. We had the speed and we got a good result in the end.”
Antonio Giovinazzi
“It was disappointing to finish out of the points, but we were up against it when starting on the soft tyres. It was the price to pay for a good performance on Saturday, but it effectively compromised my race before the start. We pitted early as the softs didn’t last, but in the end we had to make another stop in order to finish the race.
I can still take some positives from a strong qualifying, and of course it was important for the team to get back into the points. I would have loved to celebrate Alfa Romeo’s birthday with a better result, but we showed to be competitive and hopefully we can carry this form to the next races.”
Frédéric Vasseur - Team Principal
Frederic Vasseur
“It was very good to bring back the team into the points. All weekend, we have showed our fighting spirit and that we can compete with teams like Renault and McLaren. Kimi drove an excellent race, withstanding incredible pressure from Hülkenberg for most of the afternoon and making the most of his opportunities in the final laps to claim some important points.
Antonio was unlucky, his race compromised by having to start on soft tyres. He showed good pace in the opening laps, but there was nothing he could do to remain in the points. He should take heart from a strong performance in qualifying.”
SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team
Sergio Pérez (finished 12th, started on P14)
Sergio Pérez
"I don't understand why I was penalised. I have to look at it properly, but I did what I'm supposed to do, which was to go around the bollards. The rule is that you have to come back on the track as soon as you go through the bollards, which is what I did. I think what they did is wrong, because I stuck to the rules. Whether or not I gained an advantage, for me it was impossible to judge - it was lap one and there were so many cars around. It's supposed to be slower than the racing line so that you don't gain an advantage, but if it isn’t it’s not my fault. The penalty really hurt my race. We had the possibility to score some points today but this ruined it.
We were a lot closer in terms of race pace, so that was promising. At the moment we are still struggling in qualifying and that’s where we must focus our attention to see what we can do better next week. Hopefully we can get back into the points in Austria."
Lance Stroll (finished 13th, started on P17)
Lance Stroll
"It was a good race today. The first stint was really strong and we went really long before fitting a fresh set of mediums at the end so that I could push and attack in the final few laps. Unfortunately, I think we stopped a little bit too late because I could feel the tyres dropping off towards the end of my first stint, which cost us some time.
There was also some life left in the mediums when I finished the race. Pitting a few laps earlier could have changed our final result, but it’s easy to say that after the race. It was a good team effort today and we showed good pace to move up the order. We will come back in Austria and give it another shot."
Otmar Szafnauer - Team Principal
Otmar Szafnauer
"Opportunities were few and far between today with a one-stop strategy being the only realistic approach for scoring points. We chose to split the strategies again and ultimately there was little to choose between the two with Sergio and Lance ending the race line astern. We came into this weekend aware that this circuit would present us with a tough challenge, but it’s still disappointing to leave empty-handed.
We take some encouragement from our competitive race pace, with both drivers happier with the car in race trim compared to yesterday. There’s plenty to learn and analyse so that we can come back stronger in Austria next weekend."
Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda
Daniil Kvyat (finished 14th, started on P19)
Daniil Kvyat
“I think the race wasn’t too bad today. In the end, we did the best job possible and we had some good battles on track, I made a nice move on the outside of Grosjean and had an enjoyable battle with Alex towards the end of the race - it was quite fun! I’m not sure where we would have finished if we had of started further up the grid without the penalty, but I think it would have been a bit of a challenge to finish inside the points today. Now we need to analyse everything in order to come back stronger in Austria.”
Alexander Albon (finished 15th, started on P11)
Alexander Albon
“Unfortunately, our race was compromised from lap one as I went wide into Turn 2 and got boxed out. I didn’t realise how much grip there was on the outside and I lost a few positions. We were quicker than the cars in front but struggled to get past them as everyone was in the DRS train, so I spent most of the race behind another car. We lacked a bit of pace today, so we need to understand why and where we can improve. It was good fun battling with Dany, however, fighting for positions outside of the points is not where either of us wants to be.”
Guillaume Dezoteux (Head of Vehicle Performance)
“This is not the race we were hoping for here in Paul Ricard. We were immediately on the back foot after the first lap when Alex lost several positions and Daniil got overtaken by Russell. Daniil was able to recover some ground during his first stint and he successfully challenged Alex towards the end of the race for P14, which offered a good show. All in all, he had a solid race and managed his tyres well.
“Alex went wide in Turn 2 after the start and lost five positions. After having spent 14 laps in traffic, he was able to overtake Magnussen and recover some of the time lost to the train of cars he started with. Unfortunately, it was only enough to clear Giovinazzi after the pit stop. A mistake in Turn 7 meant he lost a place and had to fight again to get his position back. We were then too far away from the cars ahead and the blue flags compromised the last part of his race.
“We only managed to finish P14 and P15 today, which is disappointing after a decent Qualifying and the reasonable pace we had on Friday. We will analyse all of the data and prepare for the next race as best as possible to hopefully get a better result in Austria.”
Rich Energy Haas F1 Team
Kevin Magnussen (finished 17th, started on P15)
Kevin Magnussen
“There’s not much to tell. I think after Friday we were thinking that qualifying might be difficult, but the race would be strong. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
We were fighting at the back the whole race. We were a bit helpless. Obviously our pace is the biggest challenge at the moment. We just lack pace sometimes, and today was one of those days.”
Romain Grosjean
“I got the maximum from the car, but it was just not good enough. Even though the balance felt okay, we were just very slow. We need to go back and analyze everything, try and understand it.
We’re just really struggling. It’s hard to retire in front of your home crowd, but we’ve saved some parts. We were far from the points anyway. I think it was the right decision.”
Guenther Steiner - Team Principal
Gunther Steiner
“The weekend didn’t end better than yesterday. We got two cars to the end, but the result is quite disappointing.”
ROKiT Williams Racing
Robert Kubica (finished 18th, started on P18)
Robert Kubica
"The tyres lasted better than expected so it was less painful as they behaved very well. My first lap was good, I made some correct decisions without risking too much. The rest of the race was alright,
I struggled with the rear tyres in certain moments of the race, but I kept them under control, so it was ok. The battle with George was good experience for when the car gets quicker, which will hopefully pay off in the future."
George Russel (finished 19th, started on P18)
George Russell
“With my first attempt to overtake Robert around the outside, I ran wide and hit the polystyrene board. We thought that wasn’t too much of an issue but then we found that damage to the front wing worsened. For safety reasons we decided on the change.
The pace seems strong, but it was an expected day. We need to be patient, learn as much as we can and then hopefully in a number of races time start the battle. Overall, not satisfied, not disappointed just normal.”
Dave Robson - Senior Race Engineer
Dave Robson
We continued today in the way we have all season, maximising the package available to us. We executed our planned one-stop strategy well across both cars, and then managed the traffic as best we could to not minimise any damage to ourselves whilst not impeding the front runners.
We had an issue on George’s car after damage sustained early in the race when he hit a marker board running wide at T10. The damage unfortunately worsened to the point we needed to box him for a second time for a front wing change. Our pitstops were also good, once again reinforcing that we continue to work as racers even though we don’t have the performance to compete with the rest of the field at present.
✅ Check out 2019 French F1 Race Report & Classification
✅ Check out 2019 F1 Championship Standings
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The 2019 French Formula 1 Grand Prix wasn't very exciting compared to last years venue. The winner Lewis Hamilton did more or less the same. Hamilton again dominated, started from pole and led the whole race to the finish, just like last year. This time we didn't see the collisions that made last years race more interesting from a spectators point of view.
The Vettel F1 saga that started 2 weeks ago at the Canadian GP at last ended just before the start of the 2019 French GP. Unfortunately the final result of this French GP also was influenced by 5 second penalties for Daniel Ricciardo's pass on Kimi Raikkonen in the last lap where he left the track with 4 wheels. It's been the 3rd time in a row now that the final classification has been changed because of time penalties.
The Mercedes team has proven to be unbeatable until now this season. The two drivers of the German car brand Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have won all 8 races up to now and even scored six 1-2 finishes which is very remarkable.
The Mercedes team already has 338 points in total. They have 140 more points already than runner-up Scuderia Ferrari. The are very much on track of scoring their 6th constructors F1 title in a row. Just like Ferrari did 15 years ago (1999-2004)
Ferrari had brought new upgrades to La Castellet, but they didn't bring the much needed pace improvement and made the gap even bigger to winning the championship title.
Red Bull Racing also didn't close the gap to Mercedes. The Austrian team got a new power unit spec from Honda, but looks to be going backwards instead of forewards on thier pace. Max Verstappen did finish a fine 4th, but his teammate Pierre Gasly couldn't get the same pace out of the RB15 and even finished outside the points on P11. If Ricciardo would not have got his penalty he would have stayed there.
We have summed up the drivers and team principal comments after the 2019 French Formula 1 Grand Prix for you to make live easy
Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport
Lewis Hamilton (finished 1st, started on P1)
Lewis Hamilton
"I’ve been racing a long, long time but this just never gets old. It’s always a challenge out there and I just love trying to find the edge, and really being on top of this machine. This is actually an awesome track to drive in the race, there’s some really technical areas.
It may look easy from the outside but it wasn’t easy at all, everything’s always on the edge. So, when I could, I was saving tyres, saving the engine, saving fuel. I had quite big blisters on my front tyres which I was a little worried about. But we got to the end and I couldn’t do it without this incredible team. I’m so proud of everyone and so proud to be part of this group of people. This has been the best start of the year so we have got to enjoy it."
Valtteri Bottas (finished 2nd, started in P2)
Valtteri Bottas
"It was a fairly quiet race in the end. The start was my best bet, but Lewis also had a good start, so the opportunity wasn’t there. Lewis was very quick today; I was trying to keep up, but my front tyres were starting to fall into pieces, both on the Mediums and at the end on the Hard tyres towards the end as well.
We were concerned with the blistering we saw in the last part of the race, so I had to back off a little bit. There was definitely a bit of margin left, but we wanted to be on the safe side and make it to the end. But ultimately, Lewis had the pace advantage today and kept the tyres in better shape, so it's something for me to have a look at and learn. I’m really proud of the work we’ve done as a team, scoring another 1-2 is a great result."
Toto Wolff - Team Principal
Toto Wolff
"In terms of car and driver performance today, that was one of our best of the season. Lewis drove a really good race, he was in complete control at the front and it was a truly faultless performance by him.
Valtteri struggled a little in the second stint and he lost a chunk of time under the VSC towards the end, so Charles could get very close in the end. I am really pleased for the team this weekend, it’s been a tough few weeks with a lot of long days, but we are relentless and will continue to push.
To score another 1-2 finish is an incredible result and a credit to all the hard work and effort of this team. Now, we look to Austria, which is coming home for me. It’s a power track there and we have been a bit marginal on cooling. It’s meant to be very warm there, so we expect this to be a much harder fight."
Scuderia Ferrari
Charles Leclerc (finished 3rd, started on P3)
Charles Leclerc on the podium in France (2019)
“Overall, this weekend was pretty positive. I’m pleased I was able to fight for second place right at the end, even if I never had a real chance to attack Valtteri. I am satisfied because we managed to maximise the potential of the car.
It was about time, because after a few so-so weekends, everything went smoothly right from the start of free practice and then in qualifying and the race, where our strategy was perfect both in terms of the timing of the pit stop and our tyre management in the second part of the race.
I believe hard work always pays off and I feel we proved that this weekend. Now we go straight to Austria where I hope we can maintain this same good form.”
Sebastian Vettel (finished 5th, started on P7)
Sebastian Vettel
“I had a pretty lonely race, apart from a bit of confusion at the start, given that the timing of the lights going out caught us a bit by surprise. It was fun fighting with the McLarens, first Norris then Carlos. The first stint went pretty well and that meant I could close the gap to Charles and Max. Then in the second one, I had a few more balance problems and I didn’t feel totally comfortable with the car.
I think today’s fifth place was the most we could have done, given that Charles, Max and me were all running at pretty much the same pace. At least getting the fastest race lap means I get an extra point.
We still need to understand why Friday was so complicated with some of the parts we brought here not working as we had hoped. Our car is not yet strong enough and it’s down to us to improve. We still don’t have the pace to beat Mercedes, but I know that everyone at Maranello is working with so much positive pressure – and passion.”
Mattia Binotto - Team Principal
Mattia Binotto
“It was rather a straightforward race, the end result being that Charles maintained his start position all the way to the end. Sebastian managed to shake off the McLarens as we had hoped and then ran a strong race, keeping a consistent pace, on a par with those ahead of him. When Verstappen pitted, we kept Seb out for a few more laps, given that the tyres were difficult to manage and were likely to suffer with significant degradation in the closing stages, as we saw on the Mercedes. Therefore every extra lap we stayed out would mean having fresher tyres towards the end and that could have been important in terms of giving us a chance to beat Max.
In terms of performance, we are not yet where we want to be. We knew this circuit would be tough for us and to finish with Charles right behind Bottas is encouraging.
The developments we have introduced since the Spanish GP have allowed us to close the gap and we have shown that we are on the right path. Some of these updates have proved to be very useful, others unfortunately less so, but we know that we have potential to improve significantly. At this point, we are confident, aware that there is still a lot to do, but that we have the ability to develop the car and to be competitive on all tracks.”
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen (finished 4th, started on P4)
Max Verstappen
“The race was a bit lonely at times but it wasn’t boring as I had Charles in sight which was good motivation to keep trying to match his lap times. You have to keep pushing yourself even if there aren’t cars that you are directly fighting.
I always want to see how fast we can go and push as much as possible. In the second stint, we were looking quite good but with six or seven laps to go I ran out of rear grip and I couldn’t really rely on the rear tyres anymore. I think it took a bit too much out of my tyres trying to keep up with Charles early in the race but I’m pleased to be in front of one Ferrari and finish fourth on a track that doesn’t really suit us.
The target is always to win but it was not possible here today and I got the most out of the package. We have made a small step this weekend but we still need to work on all elements to fight for victories.”
Pierre Gasly (finished 10th, started on P9)
Pierre Gasly
“It was a long, difficult day and I’m disappointed, especially being here in France. From qualifying, I have struggled for grip and it was the same in the race.
At the moment I don’t have the answer but I’m sure we will analyse everything to understand exactly why we lacked pace. I tried to do everything I could inside the cockpit but I could not push the car as I was sliding a lot.
I have never really felt the car like this and with Austria next, we will have to quickly work hard with the guys to come back and put everything together for the next race. Honda are pushing hard and for sure they are developing so this is a positive.”
Christian Horner - Team Principal
Christian Horner
“It was a good drive by Max again and splitting the Ferraris was the maximum we could do today. With the heat, the tyres were always going to make for a bit of a marginal one stop race, so Max managed the situation very well to come home in P4, his fifth fourth position of the year.
For Pierre, his first stint on the soft tyre was pretty good and he held P8 with relative ease, managing to go longer than anyone expected. The mechanics completed an incredibly fast pit stop which got him back out ahead of Daniel who was trying to get the undercut. Unfortunately, on the hard tyre Pierre just didn’t have any pace and slipped down the order. Finishing P11 is frustrating as we are outside the points, so we will check everything on his car to ensure there are no hidden issues.”
Carlos Sainz (finished 6th, started on P6)
Carlos Sainz Jr.
“Very happy after a strong and well-executed race. I made another good start and once I was in P6 I controlled the race, controlled the pace, and drove to the target lap times the team was giving me to manage the tyres. It was a simple race from that point of view and one of those days where everything comes together and produces the maximum result available, so well done to everyone.
“We were definitely the fourth fastest car this weekend – in qualifying and the race – so happy with that. Congratulations to the team for the hard work all weekend and for another double points finish. We just need to keep pushing hard to improve at every race.”
Lando Norris (finished 9th, started on P5)
Lando Norris
“I had a good start, same as the guys ahead of me. Being on the inside, I got boxed in and Carlos managed to go around the outside, which was something I couldn’t have done from my starting position on the inside. The rest of the race was good, I had good pace and was just managing the gap to Carlos to protect my tyres for later in the race.
“A hydraulic issue, around 20 laps from the finish, cost me a lot of time and made the car really hard to drive. The steering wheel went really heavy and I lost the power steering. It was really tough, I did my best not to lose places but it was too much of an issue to hang on as I had lost so much pace. Still, one point, considering everything, is a good result as it could have been much worse. Great job by the team all weekend and everyone back at the factory to give us both such a quick car.”
Andreas Seidl - Team Principal
Andreas Seidle
“Congratulations to our entire team, at the track and back home in Woking, plus of course the drivers. It’s been our best weekend of the season and it was encouraging to see our car performing well from the first practice session until the end of the race. This gives us good momentum to keep pushing flat out as the pendulum of performance swings between teams from circuit to circuit.
“Carlos and Lando both did a great job managing the tyres over the distance. It was unfortunate that Lando lost positions on the final lap but he and the engineers did very well to battle through the second half of the race after a hydraulic issue arose affecting gear shifting, braking and steering.”
Renault F1 Team
Nico Hulkenberg (finished 8th, started on P13)
Nico Hulkenberg
“We made a good recovery today and it’s pleasing to be in the top ten again. Maybe it could have been a different race had we qualified slightly higher, but thirteenth to ninth is a strong effort. I was pushing all race, but I was stuck in traffic and this place is difficult for overtaking.
I had pace in hand today, which shows on race day we’re strong. The last few laps were really fun; it was tight and exciting and I was happy to make up some places there. We’ve demonstrated that our race pace is there, but we have something to find on one-lap pace.”
Daniel Ricciardo (finished 11th, started on P8)
Daniel Ricciardo
“It’s clearly disappointing to drop outside the points with a post-race penalty, especially at the team’s home race. The last lap was a lot of fun, we had a fight and I enjoyed it. I’d rather give it a go than not try at all, and I’m sure the French fans and the people at home liked watching.
It’s a shame to be penalised for it, but we’ll aim to move on from that as quickly as possible. In terms of the race, I feel like I missed out a little bit at the start, especially after a really good launch off the line. I braked too early for turn one and that was too conservative looking back. That made the rest of the race hard work, but we kept it clean and smooth from there. There are still a lot of positives to take and we’ll be looking for an immediate response in Austria.”
Cyril Abiteboul - Team Principal
Cyril Abiteboul
“The Renault-engined cars certainly tried to bring this Grand Prix to life. With P7 and P9, I think we finished in the best positions at the flag considering our starting positions and I am sure that’s what the fans will take away. Daniel didn’t have the best of starts but fought back thanks to a well thought out strategy and aggressive drive. Nico stayed on Kimi’s gearbox throughout the race and was quicker, but not enough to make a move stick.
The 10 second-penalty imposed to Daniel means that he dropped out of the points. It is disappointing as it was probably the most thrilling point of an otherwise uneventful race, with four great drivers fighting safely and fiercely in the last corners. With all the challenges to overtake cars on-track it is another demonstration that qualifying is the defining part of the weekend and our focus point for improvement.”
Kimi Räikkönen (finished 7th, started on P13)
Kimi Raikkonen
“I was a bit disappointed to miss out on Q3 yesterday, but we knew it would be much better to start on different tyres than the softs, and so it was. I didn’t make the best start but luckily I didn’t lose too much on the straight and I could fight back in the next few corners.
We were in a strong position after the start, on the hard tyres, but I had to hold back Hülkenberg the whole race. It was a great battle with the Renaults for most of the afternoon and in the end I was able to catch up with the cars in front. The last few laps were very intense and it was good fun. It’s really good that we could fight against other cars in the midfield and be up there. We had the speed and we got a good result in the end.”
Antonio Giovinazzi (finished 16th, started on P10)
Antonio Giovinazzi
“It was disappointing to finish out of the points, but we were up against it when starting on the soft tyres. It was the price to pay for a good performance on Saturday, but it effectively compromised my race before the start. We pitted early as the softs didn’t last, but in the end we had to make another stop in order to finish the race.
I can still take some positives from a strong qualifying, and of course it was important for the team to get back into the points. I would have loved to celebrate Alfa Romeo’s birthday with a better result, but we showed to be competitive and hopefully we can carry this form to the next races.”
Frédéric Vasseur - Team Principal
Frederic Vasseur
“It was very good to bring back the team into the points. All weekend, we have showed our fighting spirit and that we can compete with teams like Renault and McLaren. Kimi drove an excellent race, withstanding incredible pressure from Hülkenberg for most of the afternoon and making the most of his opportunities in the final laps to claim some important points.
Antonio was unlucky, his race compromised by having to start on soft tyres. He showed good pace in the opening laps, but there was nothing he could do to remain in the points. He should take heart from a strong performance in qualifying.”
SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team
Sergio Pérez (finished 12th, started on P14)
Sergio Pérez
"I don't understand why I was penalised. I have to look at it properly, but I did what I'm supposed to do, which was to go around the bollards. The rule is that you have to come back on the track as soon as you go through the bollards, which is what I did. I think what they did is wrong, because I stuck to the rules. Whether or not I gained an advantage, for me it was impossible to judge - it was lap one and there were so many cars around. It's supposed to be slower than the racing line so that you don't gain an advantage, but if it isn’t it’s not my fault. The penalty really hurt my race. We had the possibility to score some points today but this ruined it.
We were a lot closer in terms of race pace, so that was promising. At the moment we are still struggling in qualifying and that’s where we must focus our attention to see what we can do better next week. Hopefully we can get back into the points in Austria."
Lance Stroll (finished 13th, started on P17)
Lance Stroll
"It was a good race today. The first stint was really strong and we went really long before fitting a fresh set of mediums at the end so that I could push and attack in the final few laps. Unfortunately, I think we stopped a little bit too late because I could feel the tyres dropping off towards the end of my first stint, which cost us some time.
There was also some life left in the mediums when I finished the race. Pitting a few laps earlier could have changed our final result, but it’s easy to say that after the race. It was a good team effort today and we showed good pace to move up the order. We will come back in Austria and give it another shot."
Otmar Szafnauer - Team Principal
Otmar Szafnauer
"Opportunities were few and far between today with a one-stop strategy being the only realistic approach for scoring points. We chose to split the strategies again and ultimately there was little to choose between the two with Sergio and Lance ending the race line astern. We came into this weekend aware that this circuit would present us with a tough challenge, but it’s still disappointing to leave empty-handed.
We take some encouragement from our competitive race pace, with both drivers happier with the car in race trim compared to yesterday. There’s plenty to learn and analyse so that we can come back stronger in Austria next weekend."
Daniil Kvyat (finished 14th, started on P19)
Daniil Kvyat
“I think the race wasn’t too bad today. In the end, we did the best job possible and we had some good battles on track, I made a nice move on the outside of Grosjean and had an enjoyable battle with Alex towards the end of the race - it was quite fun! I’m not sure where we would have finished if we had of started further up the grid without the penalty, but I think it would have been a bit of a challenge to finish inside the points today. Now we need to analyse everything in order to come back stronger in Austria.”
Alexander Albon (finished 15th, started on P11)
Alexander Albon
“Unfortunately, our race was compromised from lap one as I went wide into Turn 2 and got boxed out. I didn’t realise how much grip there was on the outside and I lost a few positions. We were quicker than the cars in front but struggled to get past them as everyone was in the DRS train, so I spent most of the race behind another car. We lacked a bit of pace today, so we need to understand why and where we can improve. It was good fun battling with Dany, however, fighting for positions outside of the points is not where either of us wants to be.”
Guillaume Dezoteux (Head of Vehicle Performance)
“This is not the race we were hoping for here in Paul Ricard. We were immediately on the back foot after the first lap when Alex lost several positions and Daniil got overtaken by Russell. Daniil was able to recover some ground during his first stint and he successfully challenged Alex towards the end of the race for P14, which offered a good show. All in all, he had a solid race and managed his tyres well.
“Alex went wide in Turn 2 after the start and lost five positions. After having spent 14 laps in traffic, he was able to overtake Magnussen and recover some of the time lost to the train of cars he started with. Unfortunately, it was only enough to clear Giovinazzi after the pit stop. A mistake in Turn 7 meant he lost a place and had to fight again to get his position back. We were then too far away from the cars ahead and the blue flags compromised the last part of his race.
“We only managed to finish P14 and P15 today, which is disappointing after a decent Qualifying and the reasonable pace we had on Friday. We will analyse all of the data and prepare for the next race as best as possible to hopefully get a better result in Austria.”
Kevin Magnussen (finished 17th, started on P15)
Kevin Magnussen
“There’s not much to tell. I think after Friday we were thinking that qualifying might be difficult, but the race would be strong. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
We were fighting at the back the whole race. We were a bit helpless. Obviously our pace is the biggest challenge at the moment. We just lack pace sometimes, and today was one of those days.”
Romain Grosjean (DNF, started on P16)
Romain Grosjean
“I got the maximum from the car, but it was just not good enough. Even though the balance felt okay, we were just very slow. We need to go back and analyze everything, try and understand it.
We’re just really struggling. It’s hard to retire in front of your home crowd, but we’ve saved some parts. We were far from the points anyway. I think it was the right decision.”
Guenther Steiner - Team Principal
Gunther Steiner
“The weekend didn’t end better than yesterday. We got two cars to the end, but the result is quite disappointing.”
ROKiT Williams Racing
Robert Kubica (finished 18th, started on P18)
Robert Kubica
"The tyres lasted better than expected so it was less painful as they behaved very well. My first lap was good, I made some correct decisions without risking too much. The rest of the race was alright,
I struggled with the rear tyres in certain moments of the race, but I kept them under control, so it was ok. The battle with George was good experience for when the car gets quicker, which will hopefully pay off in the future."
George Russel (finished 19th, started on P18)
George Russell
“With my first attempt to overtake Robert around the outside, I ran wide and hit the polystyrene board. We thought that wasn’t too much of an issue but then we found that damage to the front wing worsened. For safety reasons we decided on the change.
The pace seems strong, but it was an expected day. We need to be patient, learn as much as we can and then hopefully in a number of races time start the battle. Overall, not satisfied, not disappointed just normal.”
Dave Robson - Senior Race Engineer
Dave Robson
We continued today in the way we have all season, maximising the package available to us. We executed our planned one-stop strategy well across both cars, and then managed the traffic as best we could to not minimise any damage to ourselves whilst not impeding the front runners.
We had an issue on George’s car after damage sustained early in the race when he hit a marker board running wide at T10. The damage unfortunately worsened to the point we needed to box him for a second time for a front wing change. Our pitstops were also good, once again reinforcing that we continue to work as racers even though we don’t have the performance to compete with the rest of the field at present.
✅ Check out 2019 French F1 Race Report & Classification
✅ Check out 2019 F1 Championship Standings
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