Hamilton relentlessly marches on
Lewis Hamilton may have been almost apologetic after his dominant French Grand Prix win as he appealed for the drivers not be blamed when F1 served up an uninspiring afternoon. However, he also pointed out that it had not been easy in the cockpit, nor would there be any relaxation of his overwhelming desire to win. His authority is already stamped on the championship. Sebastian Vettel has fallen away and what threat Valtteri Bottas posed has faltered, perhaps irretrievably.
What best illustrated just how hungry, how motivated Hamilton remains was his pursuit of the fastest lap at the close. He did not need the point, while in contrast Ferrari were chasing the consolation by switching Vettel to new softs at the death. Hamilton, on old hard rubber, almost took it, just two-hundredths slower. “There is never a moment you shouldn’t be pushing and the moment you sit back is the moment you lose. And I don’t plan on doing that,” he said. He is positively relentless, unstoppable, F1’s Terminator.
Russell on a roll
In a race largely bereft of action, it was a huge shame that George Russell’s pass on his Williams’ teammate Robert Kubica was not shown on TV. The young Briton has been wrestling courageously with his recalcitrant car all season and has had few chances to showcase the talent that took him to the F2 title last year. In France he did so. Russell went after Kubica through the Mistral chicane as the Pole defended the inside line, then took the better pace out of the corner as they re-entered the straight and went round Kubica at just under 200mph through the fearsomely quick, right-handed Signes corner. The pair came excruciatingly close as they exited, so much so that Russell gave out an exhalation of relief over team radio as he took the place.
He described it as: “Quite a hairy move but the highlight of my race”. He ultimately finished last due to damage to his front wing, the first time this season he has done so, but can be rightly proud of having definitively proved his racing credentials.
McLaren take another step forward
How far things have come for McLaren from recent seasons when poor starts were compounded only by woe, wailing and doubtless considerable gnashing of teeth. Each race this year appears to display new reasons to praise the team who genuinely seem to have found their groove. This was the home race of Renault, who had targeted it as one at which to take the midfield lead. McLaren were having none of it. That Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz qualified in fifth and sixth was superlative. Then their race, which had looked like a nailed on sixth and seventh until Norris was scuppered by a hydraulics problem, had put Renault to the sword.
On the grid a mechanic calmly had to make a tiny last minute repair to the right-rear floor of Norris’s car, getting his fingers sticky with composite glue in the process. Effort and attention to detail at McLaren is bearing fruit and there will be no easy ride for Renault, who are, ironically, McLaren’s engine suppliers.
Picture not perfect
Given that F1’s owner’s Liberty is a media company it seems curious it has still yet to really overhaul the pictures it broadcasts from the track. Broadcasters take the feed so are not to blame for some of the repeated complaints once again raised in France. In qualifying there is the issue of the feed covering the first car on a lap rather than switching to one that may have been behind but is clearly putting in a quicker time. Which means, as is often the case, Hamilton’s pole lap was represented by the final seconds as he crossed the line. Then there are the lengthy start replays from multiple angles that often coincide with actual on-track action – on Sunday it was Vettel’ s pass on Norris.
Finally the question of just what action to cover was once again highlighted at the close at Paul Ricard: Norris trying to cling to his place, Charles Leclerc throwing himself at Bottas or Hamilton taking the flag. Pleasing everyone is impossible but there are options – Indycar already uses in-screen pictures to cover multiple plots.
Money matter
The agreement over new regulations for 2021 may have been delayed until October but before the French Grand Prix one change was finally agreed. The cost cap of $175m will be imposed in 2021 as part of the sport’s new financial regulations. They were framed by the former Honda, Brawn and Mercedes financial director Nigel Kerr. It will require some cost cutting from the big three teams – Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull – but notable areas are not covered by the figure: costs associated with engines, driver salaries and marketing, all of which will still amount to substantial figures.
The cap is also above what had been hoped for by the majority of smaller teams and there was a perception in the paddock in France that Liberty had allowed itself to be steamrollered into the higher number by the big three, not a ringing endorsement of its management or that it can play hard ball when required.