22
15:41
Leclerc back in the pit lane
Charles Leclerc is back in the pit lane. Visibly frustrated with helmet still on. He had a good chance of winning today, but the accident took away from him. You will have to analyze at Ferrari what the reason was.
21
15:40
Carlos Sainz overtakes
Carlos Sainz passes Lando Norris and now takes sixth place. Vettel was unable to make up any places and remains 13th, Mick Schumacher is 18th.
21
15:39
Race open again!
The safety car turns and the race is on again! Max Verstappen gets off well at the top and can directly create a small gap to Hamilton. Not much has changed behind it either.
20
15:39
Pit stop by Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel has meanwhile also completed his pit stop. He is in 13th place.
19
15:38
Task by Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda gives up the race and the car is pushed into the garage. Look for a defect in the underbody. Probably a result of the accident with Ocon.
19
15:38
That’s how the crash happened
Now there is a repeat. Leclerc loses the rear mid-corner. After that he had no chance to intercept the car. A radio message suggests that there could have been problems with the gas pedal again.
19
15:35
Lots going on in the pit lane
The pit lane is now getting busy! Of course, the drivers don’t let this opportunity pass them by and many of them make their first stop. Sebastian Vettel did not turn. Nicholas Latifi wasn’t there either.
18
15:34
safety car
The safety car comes out and collects the field now. Many will now head into the pits to change the tyres. It is not yet clear how the Leclerc crash happened.
18
15:33
Accident of Charles Leclerc
What a drama! Charles Leclerc crashes in turn 11 and ends up in the tire wall. He’s okay, but his race is over.
17
15:32
Pit radio Charles Leclerc
“The hard tires are two tenths slower than expected,” Charles Leclerc is informed over the radio. “Continue to overheat.”
17
15:30
Max Verstappen pit stop
Max Verstappen pits! The stop is quick and after 2.4 seconds Verstappen is back on the road. He comes out seventh with Hard.
15
15:28
Leclerc can detach
Charles Leclerc can now break away from the top position and has increased his lead over Max Verstappen to a good 1.8 seconds.
13.
15:25
Carlos Sainz overtakes
Carlos Sainz also overtook Lance Stroll’s second Aston Martin. That’s how he got the points.
13.
15:24
Pérez can not follow Hamilton
Sergio Pérez couldn’t keep up with Lewis Hamilton’s speed and left it to the Briton. He is three seconds behind the Mercedes driver.
12.
15:23
Carlos Sainz overtakes
Carlos Sainz has gained another position and is now past Sebastian Vettel. The Heppenheimer is now twelfth again.
11.
15:21
Verstappen continues in the DRS window
For his part, Max Verstappen continues to hang in the DRS window on Charles Leclerc. One can also ask oneself how long this will do the tires good. Behind the two, the gap to Hamilton has already grown to six seconds.
10
15:20
Pit radio Carlos Sainz
“You’re doing a good job,” radios Carlos Sainz. He’s not convinced: “It doesn’t feel like it,” he answers.
10
15:19
Mick Schumacher pit stop
A lap later, the second Haas from Mick Schumacher comes in. He also gets the hard raised.
9.
15:18
Pit stop by Kevin Magnussen
Kevin Magnussen comes in for an early pit stop. He swaps from medium to hard. Accordingly, it is now only once on the last place backwards.
8th.
15:16
Pit radio Sergio Pérez
The team informs Sergio Pérez that he has already received the second track limit warning at turn 3. If you run over again, you will be given a warning.
7.
15:15
Esteban Ocon overtaking
Esteban Ocon overtakes Daniel Ricciardo and sits behind Lando Norris in eighth place. Seems Alpine are the stronger team in the race.
6.
15:12
side by side
Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen go side by side in turn 11. The leader had previously made a mistake that gave Verstappen the chance in the first place. But Leclerc can stay ahead.
5.
15:12
Sainz on the way forward
For his part, Carlos Sainz is on the way up. He just snagged Alex Albon and is now 13th. Mick Schumacher is 15th.
4.
15:10
Hamilton becomes Leclerc’s assistant
Lewis Hamilton has become Leclerc’s assistant. Sergio Pérez can actually be faster, but is currently unable to get past the Mercedes competitor. Helps Ferrari, of course, because Red Bull has fewer options in strategy.
4.
15:10
Penalty for Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon is penalized by race control. He gets a five-second penalty for the accident with Tsunoda.
4.
15:09
Verstappen crawls up
Max Verstappen has meanwhile pulled back into the DRS second and is now just 0.7 seconds behind Leclerc. Behind them, a large gap has formed in the direction of Lewis Hamilton.
3.
15:08
Investigation against Ocon
Replays show that there was indeed a touch between Esteban Ocon and Yuki Tsunoda. An investigation is already underway.
2.
15:06
Leclerc can detach
Charles Leclerc can break away directly after the first lap and is almost outside the DRS second. Sebastian Vettel is eleventh. Kevin Magnussen made up seven places at the start. He is now 12th.
1.
15:05
Filmed by Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda spins at Turn 8. It seems there was contact between him and Ocon. The Japanese can continue.
1.
15:04
Start race
The traffic lights are off. The race in France has started! Charles Leclerc gets off well and can keep Verstappen at a distance. Lewis Hamilton can grab third place!
15:02
Not for long
The cars return to the starting grid. Now it’s not long until the race starts.
15:00
The formation lap
The cars started moving for the formation lap. Most of the field will start the race on the medium. Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz start on the hard.
14:55
The conditions
The conditions are also a challenge. The air temperature is almost 30 degrees, the track temperature is 56 degrees. It will also depend on who will be able to handle their tires best. The pit lane is long here and has to be driven through at 60 km/h. A second stop would cost the teams valuable time, but seems inevitable.
14:49
Driving here
The French Grand Prix takes place at the Circuit Paul Ricard near Le Castellet. The circuit was completed in 1970 and Formula 1 raced on the circuit from 1971 to 1990. Then there was a long break before Formula 1 returned to the track. In the meantime, it has found a new owner and major revisions. The route is 5.8 kilometers long. Three straights and 15 corners await the drivers.
14:46
Look at the World Cup
Max Verstappen leads the drivers’ championship with 208 points. His lead over Charles Leclerc is 38 points. Sergio Pérez has 151 points to his credit and is ahead of Carlos Sainz’s second Ferrari (133 points). Sebastian Vettel is 14th ahead of Mick Schumacher, who is 15th.
14:41
Vettel misses top ten
A difficult race could once again lie ahead of Sebastian Vettel. The German is in twelfth place on the grid with his Aston Martin. Things didn’t go much better for Stroll in the second Aston Martin either. He has to start from 15th place. With 17th place, Mick Schumacher also has a long way to go towards the top ten.
14:34
Norris splits Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton is next to Pérez on the second row of the grid. The Briton faces his 300th Grand Prix today. Behind them is Lando Norris in fifth place. The McLaren driver split the two Mercedes drivers with a good qualifying performance and will start alongside George Russell. Fernando Alonso will start from seventh alongside Yuki Tsunoda. Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon will complete the top ten.
14:25
Sainz from behind
Strategically, Leclerc is at a disadvantage up front because Carlos Sainz’s second Ferrari is missing. The Spaniard received his fourth engine in France and is therefore above the permitted quota of three power units. After the penalty, he starts the race from second to last place. Behind him is only Kevin Magnussen, who also received an engine penalty.
14:17
Leclerc versus Verstappen
In France, there could be another duel between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. The two closest World Championship competitors share the front row on the starting grid for the race. Sergio Pérez is third. Red Bull tends to be stronger than Ferrari in race trim and may have studied the difficult race in Austria closely.
Warm welcome!
Hello and welcome to the Formula 1 French Grand Prix at Le Castellet. It starts at 3:00 p.m.!