“Payback!” claimed Christian Horner on the team radio as Max Verstappen celebrated victory at the French Grand Prix on Sunday, his third win of the season and one that stretches his lead at the top of the points standings. It’s likely Horner wasn’t just referring to Baku and the Pirelli tyre blowout that robbed Verstappen of a win last time out; he was probably also alluding to the Spanish GP last month when Lewis Hamilton’s two-stop strategy beat the Dutchman’s single-stopper – and not for the first time. But at Paul Ricard, it was Red Bull who played that particular masterstroke to get one over Mercedes-AMG, which endured another shaky race under heightened pressure from F1’s new pacesetters. The world order in F1 has most definitely been reversed – for now.
Seven talking points from a fabulous French GP
Other Articles

Join our motorsport community
Get closer to motorsport at Goodwood! Join the GRRC Fellowship to be first in the queue for event tickets, to attend the GRRC-only Members' Meeting and to enjoy year-round, exclusive benefits.