With a winning edge honed over 12 seasons in Formula One, Lewis Hamilton, it seems, expects his skills to become keener still after victory in the French Grand Prix. His desire to win, and indeed win well, has had a bludgeoning impact on his rivals this season yet it has been his clinical execution, as displayed at the Circuit Paul Ricard, that has made the difference.
It may not make for the most thrilling of encounters but this is hardly Hamilton’s fault. He was operating here with the finesse of a conductor, and the rest of the grid were simply following his lead. The Briton won from pole by 18 seconds from his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas. The Finn, lest it be forgotten in identical machinery, could stay with Hamilton for only the opening laps.
By the time the pit stops were complete Hamilton had a gap that looked like they were racing in different classes. Indeed, Ferrari appeared to be in a different race for much of the 53 laps, with Charles Leclerc finishing 19sec back, even after having run a very strong final third to close on Bottas and challenge him into the last corners. Max Verstappen in the Red Bull was fourth with Sebastian Vettel recovering his Ferrari to fifth from seventh on the grid.
Hamilton’s 79th career victory means he now has six wins from eight grands prix this season, including the last four in a row. He has extended his lead over Bottas to 36 points in the world championship, while Vettel has fallen to 76 points back. Ominously for his rivals, the five-times world champion is revelling in these victories with the same joyous abandon that accompanied his remarkable success during his debut season in 2007.
“It has been a really good weekend,” he said. “I have been racing a long time and it never gets old and it is such a challenge out there, finding the edge and building the gap.
“We are creating history together and I am so proud to be part of this team. It wasn’t easy at all and everything is on the edge. I had quite big blisters on the front two tyres but this has been the best start of the year.”
The history of which he speaks is represented by the relentless numbers Hamilton is racking up for Mercedes, who are still unbeaten this year.
As Hamilton clocks these achievements with what has seemed sometimes to be effortless superiority, the remarkable history he looks very much like making marches ever closer. He now trails Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 wins by just 12. Schumacher’s dominance was similarly marked by criticism that the racing had become boring, an issue that was addressed by Hamilton after the race.
That more wins are to follow this season seems inevitable. Mercedes, who gained their first F1 win at the French Grand Prix in Reims with Juan Manuel Fangio in 1954, have been in control all weekend and Hamilton was able to turn the dominance he showed in qualifying into a fearsome performance at racing pace.
After qualifying Hamilton had suggested he would only get stronger and on this form it is a claim hard to disagree with. He did not allow his teammate a look in across the 53 laps in yet another display of flawless driving.
Vettel, who qualified poorly, and Leclerc, managed to maximise what they could with a car that was demonstrably not as quick through the corners. Leclerc was the better of the two over the weekend and can be pleased with a creditable performance in pushing Bottas to the wire, although the Finn was suffering with a misfire for the last seven laps.
Ferrari had brought aerodynamic upgrades here but struggled to make them work and their issue in finding the balance and grip for their car remains. Any straight line speed advantage they enjoy is being more than matched by the Mercedes through the corners. As things stand, as Hamilton has suggested, the title fight is at best now a two-horse race between the British driver and his teammate.
Hamilton had held his lead from Bottas into turn one, with the Finn just holding off Leclerc to maintain second. Verstappen had a good look at Leclerc into turn two but could not quite get his nose in front and the leading four held their grid positions to the end of the first lap. After which Hamilton held all the cards.
He swiftly opened up two seconds on Bottas by lap seven, with the gap to Leclerc already at five seconds and the British driver was in control, putting in a series of fastest laps which Bottas could initially only match.
Maintaining his lead through the only pit stops where the leaders switched to the hard tyres, Hamilton described the race as “eventful”.
Which it may have been for him, working the wheel and having complained of an issue with his seat, but from outside the cockpit it looked positively serene.
In no mood to relinquish any pressure, he pumped in a series of quick laps in the final third and even a late virtual safety car to deal with a loose bollard added no drama to the finale. The victory that followed was as assured and, indeed, ominous a win as he has had all season.
McLaren finished with Carlos Sainz in sixth while Britain’s Lando Norris, who had looked on for seventh until stymied by hydraulic problems, could manage only ninth. Daniel Ricciardo in the Renault was in seventh but received two five-second penalties for failing to rejoin the track safely and leaving the track and gaining an advantage and was demoted to 11th. His teammate Nico Hülkenberg finished in eighth. Kimi Räikkönen in the Alfa Romeo was in seventh with Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly in 10th.
