Formula One returned to the French Grand Prix for the first in in nearly 10 years. This time, the drivers were at the Circuit Paul Ricard, instead of Magny Cours like before. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton took a lights to flag victory and took the driver’s championship lead as well.
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Behind him, Max Verstappen finally got over his poor start to the season and took 2nd ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth for Red Bull with Sebastian Vettel in fifth. Completing the top 10 are Kevin Magnussen, Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz, Nico Hulkenberg and Charles LeClerc.
The race start was fairly chaotic with bodywork being sent into orbit. Vettel had a decent start until he reached the first corner and tagged Bottas. This threw both their races out of sync with whatever their original plans were.
Meanwhile, it was a terrible day in the office of the home heroes as Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon collided and both were out. McLaren’s day soured as Alonso and Vandoorne remained vulnerable to their opponents. The day went from bad to worse for them as Alonso dropped to the back of the pack with no grip and no brakes.
Force India’s day was just as bad when Sergio Perez pulled into the pits with no power. The stewards also seemed to have it in for Romain Grosjean as he was investigated multiple times. There was a threat of rain in the air, but Mother Nature opted to stay away for the entire duration.
In the end, the closing stages were a bit of a buzzkill. Lance Stroll’s tire gave up and blew up and he had to pull over. Given the amount of debris in the track, the 52-lap race ended with the Virtual Safety Car with Lewis Hamilton winning.
Here is how social media reacted to the race.
What's tour opinion on first lap contact? Was #vettel penalty fair, too harsh, not harsh enough? Shouldn't #verstappen have been penalised too for cutting the chicane? #frenchgp #skysportsf1. #askcrofty
Good stuff @KevinMagnussen with that 6th place! #FrenchGP #Formula1 #F1
Embarrassment of riches this Sunday! #FrenchGP #FifaWorldCup2018 #nascar going real racing and of course #KOHLERGP
https://twitter.com/ElodieP_35/status/1010926013310697472
![[SHAGGY!]](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1820096114034417664/hLNKAJwI_normal.jpg){kind=small}
What a day for England!! Three lions smash Panama in the #WorldCup, Lewis Hamilton wins the #FrenchGP, then England secure a 5-0 over the Aussies in the cricket!! #eng #bbccricket #f1
Congratulations @LewisHamilton 🏆 #FrenchGP #TeamLH
Mum watches #worldcuprussia2018 while dad watches #F1 #FrenchGP ...
https://twitter.com/Key_575/status/1010925670032175104
https://twitter.com/lucasthorlin/status/1010927082220580865
Sainz got lucky with that virtual safety car #FrenchGP
https://twitter.com/mrfishyfingers/status/1010926734932365312
Well done Max!! Awesome drive mate...Congratulations 😍 Need more podiums like these... #GivesYouWings #FrenchGP
WINNER 🏆 #FrenchGP Well done @LewisHamilton 🙌🏼 So proud of you 😘 #LewisHamilton #TeamLH #TeamLHMalaysia #MakingHistory
