The French Grand Prix is classic, because France is the birthplace of Motor Racing. France this last weekend, the start of the triple header, did not disappoint.

When the lights went out, Verstappen took the lead into turn one but he oversteered a little, forcing him into the runoff area, and lost the lead to Hamilton. Daniel Ricciardo also had a good start which saw him go from P10 to P7.

There was lots of passing going on, but the real excitement came when the pit window was open and Red Bull decided to try an undercut on Hamilton by bringing Verstappen in on lap 18, one lap later than Bottas. It proved to be successful as Verstappen came down the main straight just as Hamilton was coming out of his pit a few laps later.

Red Bull was really on their strategy game on Sunday. They made the bold move of putting Verstappen onto a two-stop strategy, which ended up giving them the race win. It was really enjoyable to watch because that was the exact scenario that happened in Barcelona, just with the teams switched. Usually Mercedes is right on top of their strategy game, but this last weekend they weren’t.

To add to the sting for Mercedes, Bottas had complained over the radio near the middle of the race saying that the race was going to be a two-stopper, but he didn’t received any feedback. This weekend was bad for Bottas. However, this season has been anything but great for Bottas who is currently sitting fifth in the championship. Whether it be pure pass or bad strategy calls, it is safe to say that Bottas is not fully enjoying this 2021 season.

Someone else who didn’t enjoy France would be Ferrari. Ferrari is currently fighting with McLaren for P3 in the Constructor’s Championship. However, Ferrari failed to bring home points this last weekend with both of their drivers finishing out of the top ten. Carlos Sainz commented that tyres were their downfall due to both strategy and wear. It is great to see Ferrari back in the mix this year after a crappy 2020 season, but they clearly still have some work to do.

On the opposite side of that battle, McLaren had an amazing weekend with their drivers finishing fifth and sixth. I think over the next few years, McLaren is going to be a real contender for the Championship, and similarly I think that Lando Norris will also be a contender for the Driver’s Championship someday soon.

George Russell had a great weekend and finished the race in P12. That is the best race result for Williams so far this year. I really want to see them do well, but they just don’t have the car. I think we will see them in the points this year at least once, but hopefully more.

Max Verstappen was the race winner, and the holder of the fastest lap now giving him a commanding lead over Hamilton in the Driver’s Championship. Hamilton finished the race in second, and Perez rounded out the podium in third. Bottas finished the race in fourth followed by Lando Norris in fifth, Daniel Ricciardo in sixth, Pierre Gasly in seventh, Fernando Alonso in eighth, Sebastian Vettel in ninth, and Lance Stoll completing the points finishers.

Sunday produced some great racing and I can’t wait for Austria. The Red Bull ring is one of my favourite tracks because it is always exciting to watch. Round one of the triple header is done, now it’s off to see what back-to-back races in Austria will bring.