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A strategic masterstroke from the Red Bull team has helped Max Verstappen make a late pass on his championship rival to win Sunday’s French Grand Prix.
Key points:
- Max Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton on the second-last lap to win the race
- The Dutchman now has a 12-point lead in the drivers’ championship
- Daniel Ricciardo climbed four positions in the race to finish sixth
Verstappen pulled off a two-stop strategy when conventional thinking suggested just one pit stop would be the fastest strategy.
Lewis Hamilton fought bravely at the front of the race, but finished second after being passed by Verstappen on the penultimate lap.
Red Bull’s second driver, Sergio Perez, rounded out the podium places with a brilliant drive.
Verstappen came in for his second stop at the end of lap 32 while in the lead of the grand prix with his team betting the Dutchman, on a faster and fresher tyre, would be able to chase down Hamilton.
Many drivers had complained about tyre degradation in the middle of the race, with Bottas telling the Mercedes team he believed a two-stop strategy would be quickest.
Red Bull were brave enough to pull the trigger and it paid off when Verstappen passed his championship rival.
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Team boss Christian Horner called it “payback” after the Mercedes beat Red Bull in similar fashion earlier in the year in Barcelona.
“Luckily in the end it paid off, but we had to work hard for it,” Verstappen said post-race.
Verstappen started the race on pole, but a mistake out of the first corner gave the lead to Hamilton.
The Mercedes driver looked comfortable in front, but lost out in the pit stop phase.
The undercut proved too fast for Mercedes as Verstappen pitted one lap earlier than Hamilton, which allowed him to pass.
The win extends Verstappen’s lead over Hamilton in the drivers’ championship to 12 points.
Ricciardo shows pace to finish sixth
Reuters: Yves Herman
)Australian Daniel Ricciardo had one of his best outings of the season, climbing from 10th on the grid to finish sixth.
The McLaren driver started well and found himself ahead of his teammate Lando Norris after a few laps in France.
An early pit stop allowed Ricciardo to overtake cars ahead of him, making the undercut work to perfection.
Ricciardo showed all of his skills under braking, completing several overtakes on his way to sixth place.
“It was a fun race,” he said.
“With the hard (tyre) I was a little less competitive, so there’s certainly still some things to improve on.
“For the most part, definitely a productive weekend.
“Days like today prove there’s still some big opportunities.”
The Australian ultimately finished behind his teammate who had fresher tyres at the end of the race.
The fifth and sixth place finish for McLaren propelled them into third in the constructors’ championship, overtaking Ferrari who were not able to score a point.
