Heat and updates reign supreme at Paul Ricard, penultimate stop before the summer break. Given the particular technical nature of the track, they are many news course on the track from the various teams. Among those with bolder developments we find the Ferrari. The Red team achieved the best time in both FP1 with Leclerc who in the FP2 Sainz who will have to serve one penalty by at least 10 positions on the starting grid. This, from a Fanta F1 perspective, will result in the Spaniard getting a 0 in qualifying and will force him to make a great comeback.
Ferrari qualifying and Red Bull race?
The Maranello team comes from two straight wins. Conquer also the France, in which, among other things, he did not score points with any of the cars in 2021, would be an important signal especially for his opponents. Even in Le Castellet the situation facing us is that of one F1-75 unbeatable in qualifying and an RB18 ready to give a boost in the race. The Austrian team often struggles to find the right set up from the start of the weekend even if it responds promptly in the sessions where results count. The Red has a lot of grip and speed in corners, especially in the third sector where it makes the difference. Should they find the right solution in terms of tire management, they would have all the cards for pole and victory.
La Red Bull brought several updates and this complicates the situation Perez which continues the negative trend that has been going on for a few races now. Between Red Bull and Ferrari the differences are now subtle but if in the race pace the chronometric results show Verstappen faster than the F1-75s, although I complained about balance problems, the same trend is not found in Perez in crisis after the latest updates.
Inside Mercedes instead, work continues to strengthen the aerodynamic stability of the W13. Even in France the silver arrows brought updates, which however did not meet the consensus of Lewis Hamilton and the team in general, further away from their opponents than expected. Since it's only Friday, the team can get back to work and fine-tune the car for tomorrow's qualifying. But essentially he will have to fight to get a podium.
The situation in the middle of the table
However, Red Bull and Ferrari are not the only ones to have brought updates and above all some developments from mid-group teams could give us unexpected surprises. Among the teams that could surprise us, there is above all AlphaTauria package that renewed the AT03 from top to bottom. Pierre Gasly he will also have the advantage of playing at home, and the first results of the free practices highlight a significant progress, although Yuki is still struggling. Also there McLaren it is one of those teams that has brought the most updates which will serve to lengthen in the fight with Alpine, a little disappointing on the flying lap, but less so on the race pace.
So here are the tips on who to line up at Fanta F1 this weekend in France!
TEAM TOP DRIVERS: Leclerc, Alonso, Gasly, Stroll, Latifi
MIXED TEAM: Russell, Sainz, Ocon, Albon, Schumacher
