LE CASTELLET, France, CMC – Reigning World champion, Lewis Hamilton, dominated yesterday’s French Grand Prix to win his fourth straight race and sixth of the season and install himself as heavy favourite to retain his driver’s title.
Starting from pole on a blistering hot evening in the southeast, the 34-year-old led from start to finish to take the chequered flag 18 seconds clear of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas and stretch his lead at the top to 36 points.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc claimed the other podium place as the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel were a disappointing fourth and fifth.
“It’s definitely been a really, really good weekend. I’ve been racing a long, long time but it just never gets old. It’s always such a challenge out there and I just love that trying to find the edge, just bridging the gap and really being on top of this machine,” said Hamilton, whose paternal grandparents are Grenadian.
“The start was good, then the first couple of laps with the tyres was not so easy – I don’t know how it was for the other guys but sliding around a little bit at the beginning. And then after that I kinda got into my rhythm and after that was quite comfortable.”
Hamilton leads with 187 points with Bottas on 151, and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel – expected to be Hamilton’s main rival this season – third on 111.
It means Hamilton heads to the Austrian Grand Prix next weekend in a dominant place in the standings but said he was wary of the high temperatures forecast.
“Austria is going to be roasting. I think everyone’s going to have to slow down because it’s going to be so hot,” he warned.
“One of the issues that we have is that our cars are too heavy and so the brakes are beyond the limit, they’re always overheating and they’re talking about going heavier in 2021 which is the wrong … direction.
“But anyways, we’re going to struggle. I think next week will be a struggle … I think it’s for everyone. It’s super hot there, really hard for the brakes so how we are going to manage next week I don’t know.”
