Mercedes-AMG notched up yet another one-two finish in the 2019 Formula One World Championship on Sunday at Circuit Paul Ricard, home of the French Grand Prix. It was the team's eighth successive victory of 2019, and its sixth one-two.
Star driver Lewis Hamilton led from pole and never looked unsettled throughout the weekend, whereas for second-placed Valtteri Bottas there was close competition during Sunday's race with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who finished third. Bottas and Leclerc crossed the line less than a second apart, though both were more than 18 seconds behind Hamilton.
Both Mercedes drivers enjoyed a good start on the front row but Bottas struggled with his front tires, which meant Leclerc could catch up, although the Monegasque driver also had to keep Aston Martin Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen at bay.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the 2019 Formula One French Grand Prix
Further back, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel thrilled the crowd with a handful of spectacular passing moves as he worked his way up from seventh on the grid. He couldn't catch up with Verstappen, though, with the Red Bull driver eventually crossing the line in fourth place and Vettel and rounding out the top five.
There weren't many dramas further down the field though McLaren's Lando Norris suffered some hydraulic issues that cost him the use of his DRS, and he was then passed by Renault's Daniel Ricciardo in an aggressive move. Ricciardo ran wide off the track as he completed the move and then squeezed Norris as he came back on, forcing the McLaren driver off the road. The stewards announced an investigation into the stint, which resulted in Ricciardo moving from seventh to 11th due to two five-second penalties.
Thanks to four successive wins, Hamilton has now built a sizeable gap in the lead spot of the 2019 Drivers' Championship. The Briton sits on 187 points versus Bottas in second place with 151 points. Vettel is third with 111 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes leads with 338 points versus the 198 of Ferrari and 137 of Red Bull. The fight resumes this coming weekend with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring in picturesque Spielberg.
2019 Formula One French Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2019 Formula 1 French Grand Prix:
1) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG
2) Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-AMG +18.056 seconds
3) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +18.985 seconds
4) Max Verstappen, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing +34.905 seconds
5) Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari +62.796 seconds
6) Carlos Sainz, McLaren +95.462 seconds
7) Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
8) Nico Hulkenberg, Renault +1 lap
9) Lando Norris, McLaren +1 lap
10) Pierre Gasly, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing +1 lap
11) Daniel Ricciardo, Renault +1 lap
12) Sergio Perez, Racing Point +1 lap
13) Lance Stroll, Racing Point +1 lap
14) Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso +1 lap
15) Alexander Albon, Toro Rosso +1 lap
16) Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
17) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +1 lap
18) George Russell, Williams +2 laps
19) Robert Kubica, Williams +2 laps
Ret) Romain Grosjean, Haas
