Charles Leclerc was fastest in the first practice session for the French Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver set a 33.930 on the soft tyre with put him nine hundredths ahead of championship rival Max Verstappen while his teammate Carlos Sainz was third. Ferrari appeared to have a settled car at the high speed Circuit Paul Ricard as they look to continue to fight back against Red Bull in both the drivers and constructors.
The Monacan went fastest in the final third of the session improving his time by five seconds in the hour long session. Verstappen looked a threat through out trading times with Leclerc, while Sainz could only manage third his fastest time being set just after the half way mark with the car looking strong in the last sector.
However, while Ferrari once more displayed impressive pace, there were reminders of the reliability problems that have plagued the Italian team’s season. Leclerc only just hung on for victory in Austria as a throttle issue troubled him in the closing stages, and he was quickly on team radio on Friday to complain of a throttle-related issue.
George Russell put his Mercedes fourth, however the Englishman was nine and a half tenths off Leclerc. Mercedes looking to perhaps struggle with the long straights and fast corners despite the car appearing not to bounce as much along the straights, but the Russell was having to manage but lifting his front inside wheel.
Pierre Gasly put Alpha Tauri’s first major upgrade to good use going fifth, ahead of the sister Red Bull of Sergio Perez by nearly two tenths. But it was a messy first session for the Mexican, who straightlined the chicane and had to briefly stop at the Red Bull garage after his visor tear-off was caught in the right-rear suspension.
Red Bull have also brough upgrades for Le Castelett with a revised floor. Lando Norris put his McLaren third over tenth and three quarters ahead of the Williams of Alexander Albon. McLaren have also brought upgrades with new side pods for this weekend. Nyck de Vries, driving in place of Lewis Hamilton, was ninth going three and a half tenths ahead of Daniel Ricciardo who rounded out the top ten.
Guanyu Zhou put his Alfa Romeo eleventh missing out on the top ten by a hundredth and a half, but he was ahead of Lance Stroll by half a tenth. Esteban Ocon spilt the Aston Martin’s going two hundredths faster than Sebastian Vettel with the second Alpine of Fernando Alonso a quarter of a tenth behind in fifteenth.
Mick Schumacher was sixteenth going eight hundredths faster than Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen, both off the pace aftelooking competativre at both Silverstone and the Red Bull ring. Yuki Tsunoda going eighteenth, ahead of Robert Kubica and Nicolas Latifi.
