'It looks like Bottas and Hamilton have switched helmets'

According to Peter Windsor, after two street circuit races there was one important question to answer now that Formula 1 is back on a traditional circuit in France. Can Mercedes come back and fight for the win?

Red Bull and Mercedes closely matched

According to Windsor, it is incredibly close between Mercedes and Red Bull Racing. "But it seems like Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton have switched helmets. Valtteri doesn't seem to be making any mistakes on this day. He was really quick on light fuel, really quick on heavy fuel," Windsor said in his YouTube video.

"He was quickest by about two tenths when it came to heavy fuel over Max Verstappen," Windsor continued. He adds, however, that the runs on more fuel are difficult to compare because of the traffic at Paul Ricard. "Max also looked quite strong, but they were very close."

Hamilton not yet on level

Someone who had a slightly lesser day was Hamilton. "Lewis was a couple of tenths adrift in P3. So I think we can say safely that Mercedes have bounced back. The interesting thing at the moment is that Valtteri appears to have a better balance, a better feel."