| 2018 French Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 8 of 21 in the2018 Formula One World Championship
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 Layout of the Circuit Paul Ricard in 2018 | |||||
| Race details[1] | |||||
| Date | 24 June 2018 | ||||
| Official name | Formula 1PirelliGrand Prix de France 2018 | ||||
| Location | Circuit Paul Ricard Le Castellet,Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur,France | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing circuit | ||||
| Course length | 5.842 km (3.630 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 53 laps, 309.690 km (192.432 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Partially cloudy, warm and dry | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Mercedes | ||||
| Time | 1:30.029 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver |  Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | |||
| Time | 1:34.225 on lap 41 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Mercedes | ||||
| Second | Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer | ||||
| Third | Ferrari | ||||
Lap leaders | |||||
The2018 French Grand Prix (formally known as theFormula 1 Pirelli Grand Prix de France 2018)[1] was aFormula Onemotor race that took place on 24 June 2018 at theCircuit Paul Ricard inLe Castellet, France.[1] The race was the eighth round of the2018 FIA Formula One World Championship and marked the first time that theFrench Grand Prix has been run since2008. It was the 87th running of the French Grand Prix,[2] and the 59th time the event had been included as a round of theFormula One World Championship since the inception of the series in1950.[3]
Ferrari driverSebastian Vettel entered the race with a one-point lead overLewis Hamilton in the World Drivers' Championship. In the World Constructors' Championship,Mercedes led Ferrari by seventeen points. Hamilton took the lead in the Driver's Championship by winning the race, with Vettel finishing fifth.
The race returned to the calendar for the first time since2008, withCircuit Paul Ricard chosen as the venue. The circuit last hosted the French Grand Prix in1990 before the event moved to theCircuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in1991.[4] The race used the 5.842 km (3.630 mi) layout of the Circuit Paul Ricard for the first time. The layout includes a chicane on the Mistral straight as opposed to the 5.809 km (3.610 mi) circuit that was used nine times between1971 and1985.[note 1]
The race was run in June, filling a vacancy left by theAzerbaijan Grand Prix. The race in Azerbaijan was moved to an April date to avoid clashing with celebrations for the centenary of theAzerbaijan Democratic Republic.[5]
The circuit featured twodrag reduction system (DRS) zones. The first was located along the main straight, while the second was on the Mistral Straight on the approach to the chicane.[6]
Tyre supplierPirelli provided teams with the soft, supersoft and ultrasoft compounds of tyres. They reverted to their narrow tread compound following feedback from the teams in the wake of mid-season testing at theCircuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap in the first free practice session, which was cut short by an accident involvingSauber driverMarcus Ericsson. Ericsson lost control of hisSauber C37 on the approach to Turn 11 and spun into the barrier on the outside of the corner. The car hit the tyre wall at an angle and subsequently caught fire. Ericsson was unharmed, but with two minutes remaining the session was abandoned and the damage to his car so extensive that he was unable to take part in the second free practice session. Several drivers experienced spins during the session, most notably at Turn 6 where an intermittent and gustylocal wind caught the drivers unaware as they accelerated away from the apex of the corner. Unlike Ericsson, all of the drivers avoided contact with the wall courtesy of the circuit's unique, abrasive tarmac run-off areas designed to slow down cars that left the circuit.
Hamilton was fastest again in the second free practice session despite having his flying lap interrupted by another red flag.Sergio Pérez lost a wheel as he turned onto the Mistral Straight, prompting race officials to mount an investigation as to whetherForce India had released Pérez from the pit lane with his car in an unsafe condition. The session was restarted once Pérez's car was cleared away.[7]
At the startSebastian Vettel ran into the back ofValtteri Bottas, with both sustaining damage and having to pit for repairs, also there was a separate collision betweenPierre Gasly andEsteban Ocon leaving both cars stranded out on the track, this brought out a briefsafety car period lasting till the end of lap 5. Vettel would later receive a penalty for his collision with Bottas which meant he would only manage to finish 5th.Lance Stroll suffered a tyre puncture near the end of the race causing avirtual safety car, which ended with only half a lap left of the race.Lewis Hamilton comfortably won ahead ofMax Verstappen, whileKimi Räikkönen completed the podium.[9]
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 |  Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 53 | 1:30:11.385 | 1 | 25 |
| 2 | 33 |  Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer | 53 | +7.090 | 4 | 18 |
| 3 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 53 | +25.888 | 6 | 15 |
| 4 | 3 |  Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer | 53 | +34.736 | 5 | 12 |
| 5 | 5 |  Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 53 | +1:01.935 | 3 | 10 |
| 6 | 20 |  Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 53 | +1:19.364 | 9 | 8 |
| 7 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 53 | +1:20.632 | 2 | 6 |
| 8 | 55 |  Carlos Sainz Jr. | Renault | 53 | +1:27.184 | 7 | 4 |
| 9 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 53 | +1:31.989 | 12 | 2 |
| 10 | 16 |  Charles Leclerc | Sauber-Ferrari | 53 | +1:33.873 | 8 | 1 |
| 11 | 8 |  Romain Grosjean | Haas-Ferrari | 52 | +1 lap | 10 | |
| 12 | 2 |  Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren-Renault | 52 | +1 lap | 17 | |
| 13 | 9 |  Marcus Ericsson | Sauber-Ferrari | 52 | +1 lap | 15 | |
| 14 | 28 |  Brendon Hartley | Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda | 52 | +1 lap | 20 | |
| 15 | 35 |  Sergey Sirotkin | Williams-Mercedes | 52 | +1 lap1 | 18 | |
| 162 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren-Renault | 50 | Suspension | 16 | |
| 172 | 18 |  Lance Stroll | Williams-Mercedes | 48 | Puncture | 19 | |
| Ret | 11 |  Sergio Pérez | Force India-Mercedes | 27 | Engine | 13 | |
| Ret | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Force India-Mercedes | 0 | Collision | 11 | |
| Ret | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda | 0 | Collision | 14 | |
| Source:[10] | |||||||
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| Previous race: 2018 Canadian Grand Prix | FIA Formula One World Championship 2018 season | Next race: 2018 Austrian Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 2008 French Grand Prix | French Grand Prix | Next race: 2019 French Grand Prix |
