Verstappen wins French GP ahead of rival Hamilton

Verstappen’s Red Bull team gambled on an extra pit stop, sacrificing the lead to come back at Hamilton on fresher tyres to pass the Mercedes with two laps to go. And Mercedes was ruing a strategic blunder in which it left Hamilton out one lap too long and lost the lead. That came after Verstappen had himself gifted Hamilton first place with a mistake at the first corner of the race. 

After a thrilling see-saw battle between the two title contenders and their teams, Verstappen moves into a 12-point championship lead after seven races following Red Bull’s third victory in a row. 

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez took the final podium position from Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the closing laps as the Finn’s tyres faded. 

Paul Ricard in the south of France is notorious for producing dull races but this one was a stunner as the battle between Verstappen and Hamilton swung back and forth. 

But Mercedes will rue its error in allowing Verstappen back into the lead after it followed the Dutchman’s on-track error on the first lap with its own in the strategy room. 

“This one’s on us,” chief strategist James Vowles said on the radio to Hamilton after the race, acknowledging the error. “Thank you for doing everything you could to recover that race.” Verstappen appeared to have gifted Hamilton an unexpected opportunity when he slid wide at the first corner and ran off track allowing Hamilton to slip into the lead. 

That put Mercedes in control of the race, but it surrendered its position with a bad error in Hamilton’s pit-stop timing.