GP France qualifying result
22.06.2019
N After the free practice sessions, another silver show had already been announced. And when it finally came down to the best starting positions on Saturday afternoon (June 22, 2019), no competitor could prevent the two Mercedes from easily driving into the front row. The big question was in what order.
In the end, Lewis Hamilton prevailed once again. The world champion celebrated the 86th pole position of his career with a lead of almost three tenths. In practice, it looked as if team-mate Valtteri Bottas could challenge the championship leader more. Hamilton was relieved accordingly.
“This is not an easy route here. Then there was the changing wind. In my last attempt, a gust caught me. Luckily it was enough for me. Valtteri put a lot of pressure on all weekend. Luckily it was enough in the end, ”beamed the fastest driver of the day.
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Can Bottas reverse the order in the race again?
Bottas wants on Attack the start
Bottas' mood wasn't quite so good: “Our duel had been about small details in the hundredths for the whole weekend. Unfortunately, due to the changing wind, my line no longer worked in certain corners. ”However, the Finn made a declaration of war on race Sunday:“ Our package was strong the whole weekend. I hope that will be the case again tomorrow. I will of course concentrate primarily on the start. ”
The rest of the Formula 1 world could only watch the factory Mercedes in amazement. Charles Leclerc was the first pursuer, six and a half tenths behind: “I'm actually quite happy with my lap. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough against Mercedes today. But I am sure that we will catch up with them at some point, ”said Monegassehope for the Ferrari fans.
The newcomer to the team is not yet defeated for this weekend: “Today, third place was the maximum. A good start will be important tomorrow. Maybe something else is possible. We are faster on the straights, they are faster in the corners. I hope for a good race. ”
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Charles Leclerc has to get the coals out of the fire for Ferrari.
Vettel after Q3 error in 7th place
team-mate Sebastian Vettel will only be able to do damage limitation in the race. After a few mistakes in the first Q3 run, the Heppenheimer took it a little too carefully on the second attempt. The receipt was the seventh starting place for the Ferrari spearhead. Vettel couldn't find an explanation for the poor pace at the crucial moment right afterwards.
“In the last qualifying section, I somehow didn't have a good feeling with the car anymore. I just couldn't feel the grip. I felt more comfortable on the harder tires in Q2. Some laps were very good today, but unfortunately not in the end. Overall, of course, we still lack speed. Mercedes is far away. But we should be able to fight with Red Bull. ”
The position that was actually already booked for Vettel next to Leclerc in the second row is taken by Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver was able to keep the two strongly rising McLaren behind him in Q3. Lando Norris was nine thousandths behind the Dutchman in the Red Bull. Carlos Sainz landed a further tenth behind in second place in the third row.
Vettel shares the fourth row with his old Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who is now on the road for Renault. With many upgrades at the home game, the French works team would have hoped for a little more than eighth place. The last two places in the top ten went to Pierre Gasly in the second Red Bull and Antonio Giovinazzi in the Alfa Romeo.
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McLaren fiddled big on. Lando Norris only missed the second row by 9 thousandths of a second.
Hülkenberg misses Q3 final
It was enough for Nico Hülkenberg it just barely made it into the qualifying finals. The Rhinelander made a mistake in the chicane in the decisive Q2 attempt and slipped through the grid in 13th place. That won't particularly impress his bosses at the Renault home game. In the qualifying duel against team-mate Ricciardo, the Australian is already 7-1.
In the first round, Lance Stroll had to give up once again - for the twelfth time in a row. Due to the engine penalty for Daniil Kvyat, the Canadian slipped forward from position 18 to 17. The two Williams, who once again turned the slowest laps in Q1, also benefit from the penalty. Because George Russell also slipped over the limit, the Briton had to line up behind his team-mate Robert Kubica at the start despite the better qualifying time.
