Red dominates: Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc dominate Formula 1 training ahead of the French Grand Prix. With air temperatures of just over 30 degrees and on the glowing hot asphalt with more than 50 degrees, the German pilots experienced a disappointment.
Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen also faces strong competition from Ferrari at the scorching hot French Grand Prix. In practice in the late afternoon, the Spaniard Carlos Sainz set the best time in Le Castellet in front of Scuderia team-mate Charles Leclerc with 1:32.527 minutes. The Monegasse was second, 0.101 seconds behind, while Verstappen had to be content with third place, 0.550 seconds behind Sainz.
Sainz (in Great Britain) and Leclerc (in Austria) had won the last two World Championship races. The Dutch Red Bull star Verstappen, on the other hand, has been waiting for a Grand Prix victory for more than a month, he only recently won the sprint in Austria. Before the twelfth of a total of 22 races of the season on Sunday (3 p.m. / Sky), defending champion Verstappen is still comfortably 38 points ahead of Leclerc in the overall World Cup standings.
With air temperatures of just over 30 degrees and on the scorching hot asphalt with more than 50 degrees, former world champion Sebastian Vettel drove his Aston Martin to 13th position. The 35-year-old from Hesse has recently been negotiating with his British racing team and also wants at least 2023 drive in Formula 1. "I'm talking to the team and there is a clear intention to continue," said the Hesse, whose contract expires at the end of the year.
For buddy Mick Schumacher, the Haas racing car is about clinching championship points for the third time in a row. After positions eight and six, a top ten finish is the declared goal for the 23-year-old. Michael Schumacher's son finished training in 19th place and was only penultimate. Vettel, 14th overall, is currently just three points ahead of Mick Schumacher, who could overtake the four-time champion for the first time.
Record world champion Lewis Hamilton contests his 300th Grand Prix. The 37-year-old Briton is the sixth driver ever to reach this impressive number. "It doesn't make any difference to me. I feel great," said the Mercedes star, who is working hard to return to the top. The former dominator has been waiting for a win for twelve races, but has recently shown an upward trend with three third places.
After sitting out first practice and ceding his cockpit to Nyck de Vries of the Netherlands, Hamilton finished fifth in the second session, narrowly beating stable rival George Russell, who finished fourth. In 2018 and 2019, Hamilton won the races at the same place in southern France and finished second behind Verstappen the previous year.
