As the controversial debate surrounding Sebastian Vettel’s five second penalty in Canada rumbles on, Formula One touches down at Le Castellet for the 2019 French Grand Prix.
Whilst Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to build on his 29 point championship lead, this race marks the home race for Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly and Haas’ Romain Grosjean alongside Renault’s F1 team.
Pressure is therefore definitely on several drivers as we begin to approach the halfway point through this season, so without further ado, here is our guide to this weekend’s action.
Track Guide
*Pitlane will now be situated between Turns 14 and 15 due to safety concerns raised during the race weekend last season.
Circuit: Circuit Paul Ricard
Laps: 53
Race Distance: 309.626km
Tyre Compounds: C2, C3 & C4
Schedule
| Date | Session | Time (BST) |
| Friday 21st June | FP1 | 10:00am |
| Friday 21st June | FP2 | 2:00pm |
| Saturday 22nd June | FP3 | 11:00am |
| Saturday 22nd June | Qualifying | 2:00pm |
| Sunday 23rd June | Race | 2:10pm |
Three Pointers
- Extracting maximum straight-line speed along Mistral Straight is going to be key to Ferrari’s single lap pace.
- Honda are bringing an upgrade for Red Bull and Toro Rosso so expect Red Bull to be closer to Ferrari and Mercedes.
- With three contrasting sectors, teams will need a solid car to cope with the varying speed, braking and downforce which this track will throw up.
If missed the opening six rounds of this season, get up to date with our race reviews.