'France in favour of Red Bull, Hungary will be better for Ferrari'

Masashi Yamamoto said earlier that he does not think Ferrari has turned the tide yet, but he sees an opportunity for the Italian team in one of the upcoming races. That opportunity will not be in France, where the former Honda chief believes Red Bull Racing will have the advantage.

The former Honda F1 boss, now in an advisory role to Red Bull Racing's engine division, believes Verstappen and Perez have an advantage in France. Part of the reason lies in the altitude at which the circuit is located, some four hundred metres above sea level. Moreover, it is a high-speed track, an area in which Red Bull has proven to be strong this season.

"I think France is more in Red Bull's favour, so we can't drop it," he told the Japanese AutosportWeb. "In Hungary, on the other hand, I feel Ferrari will have an advantage because they have better traction at low and medium speeds."

Yamamoto believes Red Bull will have an answer to this as they are keen to finish the two races before the summer break strongly. Whether the French Grand Prix will indeed be Red Bull Racing's weekend remains to be seen, as Ferrari have made strides in keeping up with top speed and Mercedes have also indicated they want to get into the fray.