Hamilton dominates in France on day of damage limitation for Vettel
▶ Briton wins as his Ferrari title rival recovers from collision to finish fifth, writes Graham Caygill
If Sebastian Vettel goes on to win a fifth drivers’ championship this season, then it will be afternoon’s such as yesterday’s in France that could well prove all the difference.
When the Ferrari driver was struggling around the Paul Ricard track on the opening lap, his front wing mangled after hitting Valtteri Bottas’s Mercedes-GP at the first corner, his prospects at the French Grand Prix were looking to be pretty dismal.
With title rival Lewis Hamilton out in front in the second Mercedes, it was looking like it could be a huge points swing in favour of the Briton.
But Vettel, despite getting a five-second time penalty for the Bottas smash, and having to pit at the end of the first lap for a new front wing, fought back to finish fifth.
Yes, Hamilton won the race at a relative canter, and he gained 15 points on Vettel, moving him back ahead of his fellow four-time world champion in the standings with a 14-point lead.
But, it could have been a lot worse for Vettel.
He easily could have taken himself out on the spot when he hit Bottas and was fortunate not to suffer any suspension damage.
The next helping has was provided by the safety car coming out after a separate incident on the first lap, after the crash between the Force India of Esteban Ocon and of Pierre Gasly of Toro Rosso.
This meant Vettel could pit, get a new front wing, and not lose ground to the pack as they circulated at a slow speed while the debris was cleared from the track.
The German was also lucky not to be given a more severe penalty then just five seconds.
It was not a deliberate move but it still ruined Bottas’s race, with the Finn’s damaged car recovering to finish a distant seventh.
Drivers have been given drive-through penalties, which would have cost around 20-25 seconds at Paul Ricard, for less in the past.
Vettel, to his credit, bounced back well and proved you can pass at this track, something that had been a concern beforehand on F1’s first return to the track as host of the French Grand Prix since 1990.
It does help if you are in one of the strongest cars in the field and the Ferrari was quickly back into the top 10.
Fifth was good damage limitation, but the fact that his teammate Kimi Raikkonen was third will have told him the kind of afternoon he could have had if he kept himself out of trouble at the start.
Vettel owned up to his error afterwards, telling reporters “It is my mistake”.
He went on to add: “I tried to brake early and had no room. Valtteri tried to get his position back, which is fair enough, but I had nowhere to go.
“I tried to slow down but with that little grip that meant I had contact with Valtteri.”
With Vettel and Bottas out of the way Hamilton was able to control the race from the front as he triumphed for a third time this season.
The result came on the back of a disappointing fifth-place finish for the Briton in Canada two weeks ago and he was thrilled with how he and his team had bounced back.
“I feel very grateful. Grateful for a solid weekend,” he said. “My guys, I have been with them for six years, they are pushing the boundaries and never giving up, so I want to thank them and everyone at the factory.”
Hamilton’s nearest challenger was Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, who picked up his best result of the season with second spot.
The Dutchman admitted, however, that he had never felt he was a threat to Hamilton’s hold on first place.
“I tried to follow Lewis,” he said. “He was controlling the pace. I didn’t have to work very hard for it but it’s good to be in the podium.”
Verstappen’s teammate Daniel Ricciardo had looked on track to take the final spot on the podium but he was passed for the position late in the race by Raikkonen.
It was Raikkonen’s first podium since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in April and is a boost to the 2007 world champion who is the subject of speculation that he will be dropped by Ferrari at the end of the season and replaced by Charles Leclerc.
The Finn was pleased with the result, having dropped to seventh at the start as he took avoiding action when Vettel and Bottas came together.
“I got a bit blocked with all the mayhem that happened but a decent recovery,” he said.
“At the end, we had a lot of speed and managed to get on the podium.”
Kevin Magnussen was sixth for Haas, with the two Renaults of Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg in eighth and ninth spots, with Leclerc’s Sauber completing the top 10.
Vettel and Ferrari have seven days to bounce back from their setback in France, with the ninth round of the season taking place next Sunday at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
I feel very grateful. My guys are pushing the boundaries and never giving up, so I want to thank them all LEWIS HAMILTON