It is time for yet another Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend. This time, we’re going to France, to the famous Paul Ricard track, which is a 5.842km long circuit with 53 laps and 2 DRS zones. Will we see another Ferrari top spot finish? Will HAAS continue their spell of point hauls? UK Bookmaker William Hill has the latest odds.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: July 17th, 7:00 A.M. (EST)
Having lost his last two races, Verstappen’s odds for winning the French Grand Prix are significantly lower than what normally would be the case. Nonetheless, he is the current favorite being priced at 2.25 to win the race.
This time around however, we have Charles Leclerc with significantly better odds than usual for winning the race coming in at 2.37. Indeed a minimal difference between the two drivers.
The layout of the circuit itself may indeed benefit the Ferrari duo, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. With as many as 15 corners and only 2 DRS zones, Red Bull’s straight line speed may not be enough to match Ferrari’s pace in the corners. What Red Bull can hope for is more reliability issues for Ferrari and bad tactics as was the case in Austria and Great Britain earlier this year. If Ferrari can put their reliability issues behind them and come to grips with the tires then indeed this could be a turning point in the championship both for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari as a team.
When it comes to midfield battles, we can expect another strong HAAS performance as both Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher seem to be in top form with a reliable package and good team strategy. If they are able to repeat their Austrian GP success then it would be another hugely beneficial points haul for the entire team. Especially since the rest of the midfield seems to be struggling with reliability and straight line speed.
Another team to watch out for is AlphaTauri. AlphaTauri team principal, Franz Tost, announced this week that they will bring significant aero upgrades to the French GP in hopes of closing the gap between them and the rest of the pack.
Jody Egginton, AlphaTauri’s chief technical director said: “We’ve got a clear view on where we need to address really. And we’ll have a reasonably large update coming to France, so bodywork and floor. The target of that is to address the weaknesses we’ve identified. We’re out of phase with a lot of teams, but if that delivers on expectations, it should give us a car that’s a little bit easier to set up and deal with. It’s an aerodynamic update, and that’s the arms race at the moment.”
If the upgrades turn out to be good then we could possibly see another team challenging for the points, which proves yet again how the new regulations in Formula 1 produce the best racing to date.
Lastly, it is worth noting that Paul Ricard is an immensely technical track that requires a lot of skill and experience to be driven properly. Being such a down-force intensive track, it will require a stiffer setup than what is normally the case. A challenge that might prove too much for most rookie drivers out there.
The race starts on July 24th at 3:00 p.m. local time.
