Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: France

  • Round 12- French GP

    Round 12- French GP

    Well, well, well… With this possibly being the last French GP for a while (nothing confirmed yet…) it was most definitely an exciting one, from Safety Car’s to VSC, spins and the all important debate… 1 stop or 2!

    For a second year in a row, Max Verstappen wins the French Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton finishing 2nd in his 300th GP, and Mercedes make it a double podium for the first time this year, with George Russell finishing 3rd.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Russell, P4: Perez, P5: Sainz, P6: Alonso, P7: Norris, P8: Ocon, P9: Ricciardo and P10: Stroll.

    Another mixed weekend for Ferrari, Carlos starting at the back of the grid due to penalties and had to make his way through the grid and to end up P5 is very good. On the other hand Charles… In the lead of the race and he crashes, not the first time the Monegasque has done that this season, but these costly mistakes are going to cost him the championship if he carries on.

    What a weekend for RB, taking home the win, and having Perez in P4, quite shocked he didn’t get a podium but he was caught sleeping when we went racing again after the VSC period by Russell, but on another note, the Mexican just has not looked comfortable in the car all weekend…

    Now onto Mercedes, WOW who would’ve thought they would walk away from the weekend with a double podium! Not me… but I feel like the win is coming soon for the Silver Arrows. Mercedes are now starting to close in on Ferrari in the Constructors, especially if things keep going wrong for the Italian team.

    Now onto, Alpine, the teams home GP and double points! I don’t think they could’ve asked for much more really, Alonso best of the rest in 6th and Ocon in 8th, a decent amount of points for them. Interested to see how the team will do in the next round!

    The Championship-

    Max has a healthy lead in front, with Leclerc remaining in 2nd but Sergio Perez has closed down the gap and is only 7 points away from the Ferrari driver in third. Sainz remains in fourth, but George Russell is coming back fighting for that fourth position and is only one point separating the pair. Hamilton remains in 6th, but slowly catching up his teammate.

    Red Bull builds on their lead with 394 points, Ferrari are in 2nd on 314 but Mercedes are only 44 points away from them in 3rd position. Alpine have now jumped McLaren and sit in fourth, with the British team sitting in 5th and four points away from Alpine.

    We don’t have long to wait, as we are returning next weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix, the last race before summer break!

  • Round 12- France Qualifying

    Round 12- France Qualifying

    Qualifying at Circuit Paul Ricard is now complete, and it was confirmed that Carlos Sainz and Kevin Magnussen will be both starting at the back of the grid due to taking extra power unit components.

    But it was Charles Leclerc who took pole position at Circuit Paul Ricard! Max Verstappen lines up on the front row with him in P2 and Sergio Perez rounds out the top 3 in P3.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton, P5: Norris, P6: Russell, P7: Alonso, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Sainz and P10: Magnussen. But with the last two and them starting at the back Ricciardo and Ocon move up into the top 10.

    What a day for Leclerc! This is what he needed, and his teammate played the team game and gave Charles a tow and ensured him that he got pole position! But for Carlos he has a lot of work to do and I’m looking forward to seeing himself and Magnussen make their way up the field!

    Lando Norris, what a lap!! McLaren brought a lot of upgrades for this weekend and they are clearly paying off so far. It will be interesting to see if the car has the race pace tomorrow as if he wants to fight for a good amount of points he will be up against the Mercedes pair.

    Ahh so nice to see an Alpha Tauri in Q3, again they brought a few upgrades this weekend, not as many as McLaren but enough to get them further up the grid. Definitley be interesting to see how Tsunoda does and if he can capitalize on his qualifying position and score points tomorrow.

    Gutted for Mick, he was set for Q2, but he got his laptime deleted by the slightest of margins and he could of easily been in the top 10 with the pace he had. Be interesting to see how far he can get up the grid.

    Predictions-

    My top five are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton and P5: Russell.

    I don’t think there is going to be much change from the starting grid, but I feel like it will be a crazy and close race. If RB and Mercedes perfect their strategy Leclerc is going to struggle, especially being on his own and his teammate being no where near him…

    Timings for tomorrow-

    Feature Race F2- 08:35am (BST)
    Race- 14:00pm

  • Sainz, 10 place grid penalty

    Carlos Sainz is set to take a 10 place grid penalty for the French Grand Prix as he has exceeded his allocation of control electronics.

    Sainz’s Ferrari came to a fiery halt in Austria, as the Ferrari driver was challenging Max Verstappen for P2 and ahead of this weekend’s action in France he said that Ferrari were considering changing his power unit.

    Taking a 10-place grid penalty as the Scuderia have fitted a third control electronics (CE), exceeding his allocation of two for the season. He has also taken his second of two allowed energy stores.

    But speaking after heading FP2 at a baking-hot Paul Ricard track, Sainz strongly hinted that the 10 place drop was unlikely to be the end of his penalties this weekend, with more power unit changes seemingly coming his way.

    It was definitely a positive Friday. I didn’t do many laps on the short run on low fuel, but every lap that I did was very competitive, which shows the steps that we’re taking and the direction we’re taking is going in the right direction. I’m focusing more in the long run because I’m not going to be in that fight for pole position given the amount of penalties [I have]. We will see. I mean I took 10, so you can expect what’s coming next.

    Carlos Sainz on his penalty.

  • French Grand Prix

    Another week, another race! We are on our final double header before summer break and our first stop is France. The home Grand Prix of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon as well as Alpine.

    Will Ferrari’s reliability hold up? Or will it take a hit once again? What can Red Bull do and will Perez be looking for that win after last time out? And Mercedes… big upgrades are coming this weekend, will we see them fight for pole and the win?

    Who needs a good weekend?

    Carlos Sainz, after having mechanical issues last time out, he needs a good weekend in France as it looked like he was getting P2, which would’ve been an easy 1-2 for the Italian team.

    Sergio Perez, not a good weekend for him last time out. It’s going to be crucial for the Mexican and Red Bull to score good points this weekend, especially if he wants to be in this title fight.

    Pierre Gasly will be wanting a good weekend in front of his home crowd. This season isn’t going like last for the Frenchman, and his admitted the car is slow and possibly one of the slowest…

    Predictions for qualifying-

    My top five are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Sainz, P4: Hamilton and P5: Perez.

    I think the Mercedes are going to close the gap to Ferrari and Red Bull. I think it will be top 6 fighting it out for pole and be quite close. Leclerc’s pace on one lap is definitely a stand out this year and hopefully it can be carried out.

    Times for weekend-

    Friday 22nd-

    • Free Practice F2- 10:35am – 11:20am (BST)
    • Free Practice 1 F1- 13:00pm -14:00pm
    • Free Practice 2 F1- 16:00pm – 17:00pm
    • Qualifying F2- 17:30pm – 18:00pm

    Saturday 23rd-

    • Free Practice 3 F1- 12:00pm – 13:00pm (BST)
    • Qualifying F1- 15:00pm – 16:00pm
    • Sprint Race F2- 17:00pm – 17:45pm

    Sunday 24th-

    • Feature Race F2- 08:35am (BST)
    • Race- 14:00pm

  • De Vries gets FP1 run

    Mercedes have announced that their reserve driver, Nyck de Vries will be behind the wheel of the W13 during the first practice session of this weekend’s French Grand Prix in place of Lewis Hamilton.

    The FP1 run for the 27 year old, is a part of the 2022 sporting regulations, that teams are obliged to run rookie drivers in two FP1 sessions across the season. Red Bull and Williams have already completed one session so far.

    This will be the Dutchmans second FP1 outing of the season, he took the wheel of the Williams FW44 in place of Alex Albon at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this season.

    This isn’t the first time De Vries will be in a Mercedes car, he jumped in the Merc at last year’s post-season Abu Dhabi Grand Prix test as well as 2020. He is currently the reigning Formula E Champion, taking the title for Mercedes last year alongside fellow Mercedes reserve, Stoffel Vandoorne. Again, De Vries is driving in Formula E sitting eighth in the standings with four races left.

    Nyck is replacing Lewis in first practice this weekend, as part of the allocated sessions for young drivers this year. So, we’re looking forward to seeing how he gets on. Our understanding of the W13 is growing with every lap and it’s encouraging to see that reflected in our development and results. While we were quicker in Austria, we still weren’t quick enough to challenge at the front. We need to keep chasing those final few tenths and bringing new developments to the cars, including this weekend in France. Paul Ricard is a very different track and challenge. It has smooth tarmac and a wide range of corner types, along with long straights. The aim will be to make further inroads on the gap to the front and hopefully be back on the podium.

    Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principle.

  • France Tyre Allocation

    After a two week break we are back and the French GP has arrived. We have been given the tyre allocation for the weekend.

    The following are the tyres nominated for the weekend: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), and C4 (Soft).

    The Paul Ricard Circuit is quite well balanced where there is a bit of everything: fast corners and flat-out straights as well as slower and more technical sections. All of that is placing medium-severity energy loads on the tyres, which is why it makes a good test track.

    The Mistral straight – named after the famous French wind, which can also disrupt the aerodynamic balance of the cars – it also has the potential to cool the front tyres down. This can than affect the turn-in at Signes immediately afterwards, which is the most demanding corner of the entire circuit.

    Going off track is definitely a no no , the distinct red, white and blue tricolour markings contain a high-friction material which is designed to slow cars down quickly but with high risk to flat spot the tyres.

    Last year’s winning strategy was a two-stopper from Verstappen. It was a gamble as he was the only front runner to stop twice, with those behind stopping once, but it paid off in the end.

    This year’s French Grand Prix takes place nearly a month later than it did last year, when it rained on Sunday morning, so it’s fair to expect warmer temperatures. This year’s generation of tyres and compounds is different and more resistant to overheating than the 13-inch versions used last year, so we’ll have to see how that affects the strategy. A bit of history: Paul Ricard was actually where our 18-inch tyres for the current era made their debut, at a test with Renault and Sergey Sirotkin back in 2019.

    Mario Isla, Motorsport Director

    Formula 2-

    F2 will be back racing in France this weekend, the first time since 2019. The hard and soft tyres have been nominated for this weekend. This combination has already been seen in four of the previous eight rounds, most recently at Silverstone.

  • Le Castellet added to F2 Calendar

    Formula 2 has announced that they will be racing at the French Grand Prix alongside F1, following the cancellation of the Sochi round.

    Yesterday, Formula 1 confirmed that they will not be replacing the cancelled Russian Grand Prix on its schedule, F2 had also been set to race at Sochi until the September event was cancelled in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However Formula 2 had indicated it intended to replace its lost round.

    The French Grand Prix had been the only European round where no Formula 2 or Formula 3 races were billed, but F2 will now join W Series as the support categories.

    With the new round added, it means F2 will have four double header rounds in the space of five weeks. Starting off with Silverstone from 1st to 3rd July, the Spielberg round from 8th to 10th, Le Castellet then two weeks later on the 22nd to 24th and the Budapest from the 29th to 31st.

    The last time F2 was at Circuit Paul Ricard was in 2019. The feature race was won by that years eventual champion and now Formula E Champion and driver, Nyck de Vries. The sprint victory was taken by French driver, Anthoine Hubert, his final win before the Spa crash.

    Since it was announced that we would drop one event, we have been working on finding a venue to replace it, keeping in mind the costs. Le Castellet came out as the best option, and we are really pleased to return to the Circuit Paul Ricard. With this added round, we go back to fourteen events as announced before the start of the season. This means that the 2022 season calendar is the most sizeable one we have had since the start of the FIA F2 back in 2017. It will be a very busy month of July for the teams and the drivers, but a very exciting one for the fans and everyone involved in F2.

    Bruno Michel, FIA Formula 2 CEO on the latest round.

  • Traditional venues at risk

    Formula 1 boss, Stefano Domenicali has said “pedigree” is not enough for established venues to be safe from the upcoming calendar shake-up. After the Russian Grand Prix got cancelled last month, Formula 1 is still planning to hold a record 23-race season in 2022.

    There is space in the current Agreement for 25 races to be held in a season, this would create space for new venues to join the calendar, but even if it did go to 25 races, F1 will still need to disappoint some hopeful promoters.

    Domenicali gave an insight into the current discussions saying that there are promoters who have expiring deals and it is likely that some of them will drop off the calendar. There is a possibility that some of the venues could appear on a rotational basis with other venues.

    Apparently the choices of the tracks will be announced soon, and there shall be some new grand prix’s coming aswell. But it is not easy to plan everything in advance for example China.

    What tracks could these be?

    It is understood that France, Monaco, Belgium and Mexico have yet to secure a deal beyond this year…

    The French Grand Prix’s future is the most uncertain, despite recent encouraging words of support from the countries president, Emmanuel Macron, whilst Domenicali suggests that traditional venues like Monaco and Spa- cannot assume their places are guaranteed.

    We know we have to balance the arrival of new races with historic grands prix, and tracks that must continue to be part of our calendar. The arrival of offers from new promoters has an advantage for the F1 platform, and that is to force the organisers of traditional grands prix to raise their level of quality, in terms of what they offer the public, and infrastructure and management of the event. It’s not enough to have a pedigree any more. You also have to demonstrate that you are keeping up. There is also a lot of interest in the Far East. Guanyu Zhou’s arrival in Formula 1 is attracting attention and does not surprise us. Beyond Ferrari, in the end, it is the drivers who make the interest in this sport grow in their countries. We have seen it in Brazil, in Spain and there are many other examples. From China we have had new requests to host a grand prix, and Zhou has yet to have his first race.

    Stefano Domenicali

    My Opinion-

    I can no way see Monaco or Belgium come off the calendar this year, especially Belgium as there have been changes made to the track. I do understand though that they shouldn’t automatically have a spot on the calendar, as that is not fair to other countries which all have to go through the same process of extending the circuit contract.

    Also interesting saying that there could potentially be some new grand prix’s, obviously we have had the Las Vegas announcement but it sounded like there was more than one. I think F1 needs to be sensible about how many more new tracks or returning tracks will be coming back on to the calendar, as it could get silly very quickly.

  • Round 7- France Race

    Well what a race! For once Paul Ricard wasn’t boring and we didn’t even have rain 😳

    Another win for Verstappen after a last minute over take on Hamilton, meaning Hamilton takes P2 and P3 to the other Red Bull driver Perez! Big congratulations to the drivers on and off the podium!

    The rest of the top 10 are P4- Bottas, P5- Norris, P6- Ricciardo, P7- Gasly, P8- Alonso, P9- Vettel and P10- Stroll. The fastest lap point goes to Verstappen!

    Can I just say McLaren have aced their race pace and with both drivers, Norris started P8 and Ricciardo started P10 and they have both managed to climb up places to score points and overtake Ferrari in the constructors!

    It was nice to see Bottas back up to the top 4 but Mercedes strategy today just didn’t work, it made Bottas loose a podium, Hamilton a win and potentially taking back the Constructors lead as well as the Drivers championship. I think they need to re-group and think about their strategy for the next two weeks at Austria… And also it’s not going very well for Bottas is it? I don’t think it will be long till we get an announcement saying his out of a seat (Sorry to Bottas’ fans😬)

    Another team who needs to re-think there strategy is Ferrari, Sainz started P5 and Leclerc P7 however Sainz finished 11th and Leclerc all the way down in 16th! Lets hope they figure out a better strategy soon as they will have a big gap between McLaren in the Constructors if this happens in the next few races..

    Big well done to both Aston Martin drivers as well! Both in the points! So they clearly had the right strategy, and mega drive from Stroll, having to start at back of the grid because he didn’t get a qualifying time to then finishing 10th!

    Russell done a good drive too! Finishing P12, the Brit is going to go places, putting the Williams in a place it really shouldn’t be but is! Not long till he will be scoring his first points for the British team🤞🏻

    Now we don’t have a long wait to go till the next race as its only a week away! We are back at the Red Bull Ring, Austria!! Can Mercedes beat Red Bull at their home track? Or will it be Red Bull taking another win? It’s all to play for and I for one am very excited!🤩

  • Round 7- France Quali

    Well well well what a qualifying that was it went right down to the last flying laps 😳

    Pole goes to Verstappen and behind him by two hundred tenths was Hamilton and joining the top 3 was Bottas 👏🏻, it’s very nice to see both Mercedes up there together again. The rest of the top 10 are: P4- Perez, P5- Sainz, P6- Gasly, P7- Leclerc, P8- Norris, P9- Alonso and P10- Ricciardo.

    Gasly will be very happy with P6, at his home circuit and in front of fans too, he will be wanting to score some points tomorrow. Sadly for the other frenchman it didn’t go his way today, Ocon starts in P11, again he will want to score points in front of his home crowd too.

    I feel gutted for Tsunoda, he crashed a few minutes in to Q1 meaning he will start last in tomorrows race… As well for Schumacher he got through to Q2 but wasn’t able to participate as he crashed at the end of Q1, they need to check the gearbox as it took a heavy hit when he crashed so he possibly might not be starting P15… As well I feel sorry for Stroll, his first lap time got deleted in Q1 for track limits and because of the crash at the end of Q1 he wasn’t able to put a time up on the board, so he will be starting at the back of the grid.

    My Predictions-

    My top 5 predictions for tomorrow is P1 for Hamilton, P2- Bottas, P3- Verstappen, P4- Gasly and P5- Sainz. Fastest lap I see going to possibly Bottas if Mercedes play their strategy right. There could possibly be a safety car tomorrow depends if it rains tomorrow or not😉

    I want to see Russell get closer to a top 10 finish tomorrow, I feel like it could happen! It would be nice to see Vettel finish in the points again.

    Times for tomorrow are 14.00pm (BST) and 15.00pm (CEST).