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Back in France: Highlights from the previous races

Back in France: Highlights from the previous races

15-06-2021 20:32 Last update: 21:30

GPblog.com

The Formula 1 teams are preparing for the French Grand Prix after a free weekend. It has been two years since Formula 1 last took place at the Circuit Paul Ricard. GPblog looks back at the highlights of the last two races in the country.

2018 - Vettel and Bottas collide

Valtteri Bottas set an excellent second time during qualifying in France in 2018, but threw it away at the first corner of the race. The Finnish driver collided with Sebastian Vettel, who was still racing for Ferrari at the time. Vettel, who started the race in third place, had to settle for fifth. Bottas even dropped to seventh place.

2018 - Hamilton performs phenomenally

Lewis Hamilton once again drove ironclad in France three years ago. The Englishman showed he was the best during the first two free practice sessions and the same was true in qualifying. In the race, he then easily left Max Verstappen behind, securing his third win of the season.

2019 - Dominance of Mercedes

Again in 2019, no Formula One team came close to the car of Mercedes. Hamilton and Bottas hardly had to try their best in France to capture the first two positions. Where Hamilton crossed the finish line first, Bottas followed at 18 seconds.

2019 - Lonely Verstappen

At Red Bull Racing, the situation was completely different two years ago. Verstappen could barely keep up with his rivals from Mercedes and could also not keep up with the speed of Charles Leclerc in France. The Dutchman therefore drove a pretty lonely race and had to settle for a fourth final position, leaving Vettel well behind.