Max Verstappen will start the French Grand Prix from pole position, but will have Lewis Hamilton hunting him down from P2. The two rivals at the top of the World Championship will be going head to head around the circuit Paul Ricard and will be supported by their teammates Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez from the second row. Follow all the action in the GPblog liveblog.
The 2021 French Grand Prix
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With pole position in his pocket, the key for Verstappen is to keep the two Mercedes cars behind him. Lewis Hamilton shares the front row of the grid with the Dutchman, with Valtteri Bottas following closely behind. Regardless, the Grand Prix at Paul Ricard will not only mark the continuation of the titanic battle between Hamilton and Verstappen, but also the strategic jousting between the two top teams.
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Sergio Perez will start from fourth today. This puts Red Bull in a good strategic position. They can use the Mexican driver to balance the pressure that Mercedes want to put on Verstappen if Perez chases the two Silver Arrows right from the start.
#FrenchGP Top 10 Starting Grid:1. VER2. HAM3. BOT4. PER5. SAI6. GAS7. LEC8. NOR9. ALO10. RIC#F1 | #Formula1 | #FormulaOne
— GPblog.com (@GPblog_com) June 19, 2021
Yellow kerbs
It will also be interesting to see how the drivers navigate the now infamous yellow kerbs outside the second corner on the circuit. On both Friday and Saturday, the yellow kerbs caused damage to several Formula 1 cars, after which both Red Bull and Mercedes took up their grievances with the FIA. According to them, the kerbs disproportionately penalised the mistake made, something the Formula One regulatory body wanted did not respond to.
Follow all the action from the French Grand Prix.