Preview French GP | Red Bull take new engines to counteract Mercedes' strengths

Paul Ricard Circuit

Since 2018, the French Grand Prix has returned to the Formula 1 calendar, and it does so at the Circuit Paul Ricard. The circuit was built in 1969 in Le Castellet, near Marseille. The circuit was named after Paul Ricard, inventor of the Pastis drink, which is often served after dinner in France.

The circuit was mainly used as a test track through the years, but was also used as a race track in the past. In 1971 the circuit made its debut in Formula 1 with a victory for Sir Jackie Stewart, and in 1973 Ronnie Peterson won. Until 1983 the circuit hosted the French GP every other year, and between 1985 and 1990 it was the permanent host.

French GP

After the six years at Paul Ricard, Formula 1 chose the Magny-Cours circuit. This was used for every French Grand Prix from 1991 to 2008, after which it disappeared from the calendar completely. Only ten years later the sport returned and it did so in Le Castellet.

The French Grand Prix has been a particularly good venue for Ferrari over the years (17 wins), which is not surprising with the long straights and high speed corners. High power is rewarded here. Michael Schumacher is the record holder with eight wins in France, and the two editions since the return to France were both won by Lewis Hamilton.

Formula 1 in 2021

In 2021, the championship will go up and down for the time being. Lewis Hamilton had the lead in the standings for a long time, but lost it after a disastrous weekend for Mercedes in Monaco. Max Verstappen took the lead there, but looked set to lose it in Azerbaijan due to a tyre blowout. Hamilton however made a mistake himself and did not score any points either.

With the same top two we travel to France, where the discussion will focus on Pirelli's tyres and the new tests for the rear wing. The latter will be particularly interesting as many teams, including Red Bull Racing, have had to modify their rear wing to comply with the new test. Will we see a change in the ranking because of this?

Weather forecast

The weather could play an important role this weekend in France. It's a lot warmer than we were used to at the last race, with maximum temperatures around thirty degrees. It's cloudy though, and during the weekend the chance of rain increases according to Weather.com. On Saturday the chance of rain is 22 percent, but on Sunday there is a 50 percent chance of rain, with thunderstorms as well.

Race weekend forecast

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to predict that this weekend will once again be between Mercedes and Red Bull Racing, and hence between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. The duel between Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez will also be interesting. Who can best support his teammate? Bottas failed in Baku, where Perez seemed to have his breakthrough at Red Bull.

Yet everything seems to point to an advantage for Mercedes in France. It is a real circuit again, where Mercedes has the upper hand this season. In addition, power plays an important role here, and Mercedes still seems to have the better engine in the battle with Honda. And finally, of course, the 'Flexwing'. We don't know what the effect will be, but Red Bull will certainly lose some performance.

There is some good news for Red Bull fans though, as Honda will be bringing in fresh engines for the AlphaTauri and Red Bull Racing drivers this weekend. Where Mercedes already did this in Azerbaijan, new Honda engines can be screwed on again this weekend. That could perhaps bring Honda just that step closer to Mercedes to give Verstappen a chance at victory.

Timetable French Grand Prix 2021

Friday

First free practice: 10:30 - 11:30

Second free practice: 14:00 - 15:00

Saturday

Third free practice: 11:00 - 12:00

Qualification: 14:00 - 15:00

Sunday

Race: 14:00 - 16:00