Lewis Hamilton takes French Grand Prix pole as McLaren's struggles worsen
Lewis Hamilton put his Mercedes on pole position for the French Grand Prix as the crisis at his old team McLaren took another miserable twist.
Hamilton stormed to the 75th pole of his career on Formula One's first visit to France in a decade with a dominant display at the Paul Ricard Circuit.
The British driver saw off his team-mate Valtteri Bottas by more than one tenth of a second, while Sebastian Vettel, whom he trails by a single championship point, finished third, four tenths back.
But Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne qualified only 16th and 18th of the 20 runners on another humiliating day for the failing McLaren team.
Eric Boullier, McLaren's racing director, insists he will not resign, but the decision could soon be taken out of his hands following another abject display from the team he has presided over since 2014.
Boullier, 44, was pulled from McLaren's media schedule on Saturday evening.
Zak Brown, McLaren's American chief executive, said Boullier was in an engineers' briefing, but then refused to confirm whether the Frenchman would still be in place for the remainder of the season.
"I am not going to get into any personnel changes," Brown said. "We have a team of 700 or 800 people, and Eric is a valued member of the team. But clearly we have to identify why we have missed this year's development of the car."
McLaren's already troubled season descended into chaos earlier this week when a member of staff described the atmosphere at their Woking headquarters as "toxic", branded the team's hierarchy as "clueless", and revealed staff are rewarded with small chocolate bars for their gruelling work.
McLaren's managing director Jonathan Neale sought to reassure his divided 800 staff by sending an email in response to what he viewed as an attack on the British team.
In it, it is understood he blamed the disgruntled employee for acting divisively, and urged the factory to pull together. The team, however, appears to be falling apart.
Alonso and Vandoorne were dumped out of qualifying at the first hurdle and ended up an eye-watering three seconds slower than Hamilton.
They were two seconds adrift of the Red Bull cars, who use the same Renault engine and who Brown vowed to challenge this term.
This was McLaren's worst display of the season. They are not improving, but sliding further down the grid.
Indeed only Williams, another of Britain's former giants, ensured the McLaren cars will not occupy the final row.
Alonso, 36, is out of contract at the end of the season, and, aside from the £20million he will bank for occupying the McLaren cockpit, it is difficult to see why he would want to continue under the team's current malaise.
"(It is) normality," Alonso said. "On the personal side I'm trying to do everything possible."
Hamilton has won 43 of his 64 victories, and three of his four world championships, since he left McLaren for Mercedes.
On Saturday, armed with a new engine, he made no mistake in seeing off the challenge from his team-mate Bottas as Mercedes secured an ominous front-row lockout.
"It was a really simple session to be honest," said Hamilton. "It could always be better, but I am really happy to have the pole. You can see how close it is between all of the teams so it's really great to have this result, and a one-two for Mercedes."
A post shared by FORMULA 1® (@f1) on Jun 23, 2018 at 8:39am PDT
Final Times after Qualifying:
Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1min 30.029secs,
Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes GP 1:30.147
Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1:30.400
Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:30.705
Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Red Bull 1:30.895
Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:31.057
Carlos Sainz (Spa) Renault 1:32.126
Charles Leclerc (Mon) Sauber-Ferrari 1:32.635
Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:32.930
Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas F1 No Time
Esteban Ocon (Fra) Force India 1:32.075
Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Renault 1:32.115
Sergio Perez (Mex) Force India 1:32.454
Pierre Gasly (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:32.460
Marcus Ericsson (Swe) Sauber-Ferrari 1:32.820
Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren 1:32.976
Brendon Hartley (Nzl) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:33.025
Stoffel Vandoorne (Bel) McLaren 1:33.162
Sergey Sirotkin (Rus) Williams 1:33.636
Lance Stroll (Can) Williams 1:33.729
That's it from me today, I'll be back tomorrow at around 2PM for the French Grand Prix
It was a fascinating session overall. Not quite as good as Canada last time round but the little bit of rain threw in some uncertainty into the equation. Hamilton and Mercedes had the pace when they needed it and lock out the front row for tomorrow's race. It could all be thrown up in the air if it chucks it down before or during the race. Which is possible.
Hats off from the Chairman... ��
Niki Lauda: “Andy, all the Team in Brixworth. Thank you very much. One race late but it worked out!”
Big ������ to everyone who worked so hard to bring the new Power Unit this weekend!#FrenchGP ���� #F1pic.twitter.com/ZAr6kpilt0— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) June 23, 2018
It is not premature to say that Charles Leclerc has already shown he is The Real Deal
A top job by @Charles_Leclerc to finish P8 where he will start tomorrow's race �� "Where do I park the car after Q3? I've never been in it! so I don't know" �� #F1#FrenchGPpic.twitter.com/IvklDoWP9z
— Sauber F1 Team (@SauberF1Team) June 23, 2018
He's grinning widely as he speaks to Sky Sports F1. And well he might. And well he might.
What does this all mean for tomorrow?
Not a lot if it rains a significant amount. But it may not. Vettel is on his own in third and might be vulnerable to the Red Bulls behind him at the start. His team-mate is behind both of them, so little chance of Raikkonen acting as a rear gunner strategy-wise.
Can't imagine the mood at McLaren is particularly enjoyable at the moment. They are even further off the pace than they were two weeks ago in Canada.
It looks to be - another - one stop race, rain excepted. I think Magnussen was in traffic during his hot lap, which may explain why he was behind Leclerc and Sainz in the end.
Q3 final times
Raikkonen a long way off the pace. After starting the season well he's faded a fair amount. Leclerc 0.3 ahead of Magnussen and Sainz 0.6 ahead of Leclerc. Where would Grosjean have been if he'd have set a time? He looked in good form until he lost it into turn three and that ended his session.
Vettel reacts
Yeah, it's a difficult one to get the right balance. I tried to push everything in the last attempt but looking back I pushed too hard. After the first attempt I saw that we are nearly there. With a really amazing lap I knew we had a chance but it didn't come. In the end P3, I am happy because the car should be good in the race.
Here he is speaking to Franck Montagny and Jean Alesi. At once. Sort of.
Bottas reacts
It was not a bad lap. Not a perfect lap. I've been struggling to get perfect laps this week. I was kind of catching up run-by-run. 1-2 for us is perfect. Well, it feels good, the new engine. It feels very fresh and powerful. Hopefully tomorrow we can also prove that it's good.
Hamilton reacts
It feels great to be back in France. We got a great response from the crowd here. To be on the front is a great showing of the hard work from all my guys in the team.
LEWIS HAMILTON TAKES POLE FOR THE 2018 FRENCH GRAND PRIX
The current world champion found the time when he needed it. 0.118s the gap. 1-2 for Mercedes on the grid. Vettel was 0.371 behind in the end.
Verstappen in fourth, Ricciardo in fifth and Raikkonen in a disappointing sixth. Sainz takes seventh and Leclerc finds enough time to beat Magnussen into P8 for Sauber. Excellent work.
Q3 - Vettel 0.7s down after two sectors
It won't be him on pole. His final time is 0.4s behind Hamilton's.
What can Bottas do? He beats Hamilton by a very small margin....
It's up to Hamilton now. What can he find in the final sector? The quickest sector of the day! It puts him into pole!
Q3 - One minute to go
Hamilton 0.2 and 0.3 up on Bottas and Vettel in the first sector, none of them setting lightning times, to be honest...
Q3 - drivers jockeying for position...
Leclerc gets past Verstappen on the track. Hamilton currently the pole man. Vettel is behind him on track, so will set his time second. Bottas will set his time first...here we go.
Q3 - Four minutes to go
Well, that didn't work out for Raikkonen on his first flying lap. Makes a mistake into the technical twisty bit of the track.
The rest of the frontrunners come out. Bottas comes out ahead of Hamilton.
Q3 - Raikkonen out on fresh ultrasofts
Nobody else out there. What is out is the sun. Five minutes left. Is Raikkonen going to try two flying laps while everyone else tries one?
Q3 - Session underway again
We wait for them to restart the session. They do. Seven minutes remain. It's close between the top three. There is time for everyone to find out there.
Q3 - Top 10
That red flag messed up Magnussen's lap.
Three drivers yet to set a time. Obviously Grosjean won't set one now.
Q3 - RED FLAG - Grosjean lost it into turn three
Not a massive impact but it's another error from the Haas driver. It may cost him a couple of places in a car that could have been good enough for P7. He'll start tenth as long as they don't need to change anything on the car.
Q3 - First runs underway
Hamilton sets the quickest first sector ahead of Bottas. They are close in the second sector. Vettel sets the first time - a 1.30.4, Raikkonen doesn't beat it...but Bottas does. But only for a matter of seconds as Hamilton tops them all by just 0.095s...
It's close! But what's this? Romain Grosjean is in the wall in the Haas!
RED FLAG
Q3 begins - 12 minutes to go
And it's spitting again. Hamilton the favourite for pole here. Not sure anyone can match his pace. The new Mercedes engine is working well. Ferrari have found pace when they need it before this season.
Seven drivers out on track.
When was the last time a Sauber made it into Q3?
I'll have to check my record books*.
�� TEAM RADIO@SauberF1Team : We are in Q3 @Charles_Leclerc : Woohoo! #FrenchGP ���� #F1pic.twitter.com/h98brUW6hJ
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 23, 2018
*Wikipedia
To get a Sauber into Q3 is quite a performance
Leclerc has been a revelation. He was 0.6s ahead of Ericsson in the other Sauber as well. And 0.04 behind Caros Sainz in the Renault. Stoffel Vandoorne and Fernando Alonso aren't too happy as they speak to Sky Sports F1. They aren't angry but more dejected.
Tight in the midfield in Q2
The margin between Ocon and Leclerc and Hulkenberg and Leclerc was within 0.02 and 0.06 seconds. So close but Leclerc pips it.
Q2 ends - Hamilton quickest ahead of Vettel
Top 10:
Drivers out:
11. Ocon
12. Hulkenberg
13. Perez
14. Gasly
15. Ericsson
Q2 - Can anyone move themselves out of the drop zone?
Sainz moves up to P8, Raikkonen doesn't improve and neither does Gasly - he's out. P11 at best. Ocon moves himself into P10 for now...but Charles Leclerc gets ahead of him! His time is good enough for P10...
Can Nico Hulkenberg set a time enough for the top 10? No! He can't. Leclerc makes it through into final qualifying. What a lap. What a driver.
Q2 - One minute to go
The final runs are underway. It's close for the final spot in Q3. Track bedding in now after a bit of drizzle.
Q2 - Drivers in the drop zone
Gasly
Ocon
Leclerc
Ericsson
Hulkenberg
Q2 - Three minutes to go
Everyone out again, it seems. Hamilton out, possibly just as a precaution.
Haas definitely looking the best-of-the-rest this weekend
.@KevinMagnussen up to P7 on a 1:32.035 lap. @RGrosjean P8. #Q2pic.twitter.com/LhyH3DkbbX
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) June 23, 2018
Q2 - Six minutes to go
We're in the lull between the first and second runs. Think Verstappen will be safe but everyone down from there will want to improve their times. Big gap, nearly 0.5s, between the lead Red Bull and Bottas.
Q2 - Eight minutes to go
Quite a few of the drivers are going around for a second timed lap. Bottas not one of them, he locked up on his hot lap, though. Nobody able to top Hamilton's lap but Vettel moves closer to him in second. Ocon improves a little but not enough to get into the top 10.
Q2 - Top 10
1. Hamilton
2. Bottas
3. Raikkonen
4. Grosjean
5. Sainz
6. Verstappen
7. Ricciardo
8. Vettel
9. Gasly
10. Magnussen
Q2 - Drivers in the drop zone
Hulkenberg
Leclerc
Perez
Ericsson
Ocon
Q2 - 10 minutes to go
Things are likely to change very quickly in this session. A convoy of cars set times within a few seconds of each other...
And after it all, Lewis Hamilton is the quickest, ahead of Bottas, Raikkonen and Grosjean. Verstappen says it's tricky out there. Wasn't to hard for Hamilton, though, for his 1.30.645.
Q2 - mixed up tyre strategies from the frontrunners
Raikkonen on used ultrasofts. Vettel on fresh ultrasofts. Red Bull and McLaren both on fresh supersofts. The tyres the top 10 set their Q2 time on is what they start the race on. Strange if Raikkonen is really on those tyres.
Q2 begins - it's raining!
Doesn't look too heavy but it could be a bit greasy out there. A queue forms at the end of pitlane, Max Verstappen at the head of it.
Both Saubers through to Q2 for the first time this season
Decent. Ahead of both McLarens and both Williams cars.
Both cars in Q2! �� #FrenchGP#F1@Charles_Leclerc in P11, @Ericsson_Marcus in P14 #CL16#ME9
— Sauber F1 Team (@SauberF1Team) June 23, 2018
Q1 - Top 10
Some drivers complaining about the rain out there now. Spitting, apparently.
Q1 ends - Both McLarens out but Hamilton quickest
Alonso's time only good enough for P16 and Vandoorne's for P18. Ouch. That is painful. Hulkenberg makes it through, just.
Drivers out:
16. Alonso
17. Hartley
18. Vandoorne
19. Sirotkin
20. Stroll
Q1 - drivers completing their final runs
Who can make it out of Q1? Ocon makes it out for now. Ericsson does as well...but is he safe? I doubt it.
Q1 - One minute to go - Hamilton fastest
Drivers in the drop zone:
Vandoorne
Ocon
Perez
Sirotkin
Stroll
Not looking good for Force India. Is looking good for Haas, though.
Q1 - Three minutes to go
A rapid succession of drivers settign times now. Alonso moves himself up to P12 and out of the drop zone. Vandoorne still in it. Williams miles behind anyone else apart from Perez who is struggling down in P18. Everyone on ultrasofts.
Q1 - Four minutes to go
The McLarens are both struggling to get out of Q1, as in Canada last week. Leclerc's lap looks incredible compared to his team-mates - over a second ahead!
The Top 10 so far in Q1
Q1 - 8 minutes to go
Raikkonen the quickest so far. Vettel's time only good enough for P5.
Drivers in the drop zone:
Perez
Alonso
Ericsson
Sirotkin
Stroll
Definitely dry out there now
Qualifying underway @PaulRicardTrack and the weather seems to have dried up! So everyone out on Purple ultrasoft. pic.twitter.com/lrOFFSj9z4
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) June 23, 2018
Q2 - Hamilton goes quickest...but not for long
He knocks Bottas off P1 by 0.18s but it doesn't last long! Kimi Raikkonen nudges Hamilton down to second by 0.022s.
Q1 - 11 minutes to go
Verstappen improves in the second sector by a tenth. His final sector is a whole load quicker than the Haas drivers and Max goes quickest by 0.6s.
Q1 - 12 minutes to go
Max Verstappen the first of the frontrunners to go out. He's down on Grosjean's time in sector one...
Q1 - 14 minutes to go
Lance Stroll the first to set a time but he doesn't stay top for long. That is to be expected. Although it isn't wet now there was little running for anyone, really, so still a lot of unknowns for the drivers and teams.
Grosjean the quickest of the first 11 runners, 0.5s ahead of his team-mate Magnussen.
Q1 is go!
Green light for qualifying at Paul Ricard. Lance Stroll the first driver out on ultrasofts. He's followed by a collection of cars behind him. None of the big guns out yet though. Brendon Hartley takes a penalty for an engine change.
Weather report from McLaren
Conflicting data as to what Sky Sports F1 are telling us. They said no rain was forecast for qualifying. Is 60% chance of rain a definite prediction of rain? No, of course it's not definite. Anyway. There could be some rain. But it looks pretty dry on the track now. Shame. A mixed up grid is what we needed. Thunderstorms predicted tomorrow, mind.
The weather dominated #FP3 chat, and with 60% chance of rain during quali we may see even more changeable conditions. �� #Qualipic.twitter.com/Z7eWwWi68C
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) June 23, 2018
Five minutes to go until Q1
No rain forecast for qualifying. How damp is the track now? I don't know. We'll find out soon enough though.
What are those red and blue lines all about?
They may be headache-inducing for the viewer and possibly even the drivers but there is a simple explanation. They are painted lines with different levels of abrasion. Very high grip and abrasion if you go onto the blue lines and extremely high grip and abrasion if you stray onto the red ones. So, you may end up with flat spotted or ruined tyres if you make a mistake. I still prefer a good, old-fashioned gravel trap.
Current driver standings
What are the current standings?
Sebastian Vettel - FERRARI - 121
Lewis Hamilton - MERCEDES - 120
Valtteri Bottas - MERCEDES - 86
Daniel Ricciardo RED BULL - 84
Kimi Raikkonen - FERRARI - 68
Max Verstappen - RED BULL - 50
Fernando Alonso - MCLAREN - 32
Nico Hulkenberg - RENAULT - 32
Vettel leading the A-Class and Alonso the B-Class. If you want to look at it that way. Which you should. As there's an enormous gap between the top three teams and everyone else.
Racing into the unknown: French Grand Prix preview
20 or so minutes until qualifying...
What's the weather doing? Not a lot. No rain.
Who will win the French Grand Prix?
Final practice report
Valtteri Bottas headed the time sheets in a washed-out final practice session for the French Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver posted a best effort of one minute and 33.666 seconds in the opening moments before a heavy downpour at the Paul Ricard Circuit.
Defending champion Lewis Hamilton, who topped both practice sessions here in the dry on Friday, was among those who did not set a competitive lap.
Renault's Carlos Sainz was second in the order ahead of the Sauber of Charles Leclerc. The inclement weather could yet play a role in qualifying which takes place at 4pm local time.
Hamilton, boosted by a new Mercedes engine this weekend, is bidding to move back ahead of Sebastian Vettel after losing his championship lead at the last round in Canada.
Ferrari driver Vettel heads Hamilton by just one point with 14 rounds still remaining.
By Phil Duncan, PA
F1 news updates - what has happened in the past two weeks?
Fernando Alonso won the Le Mans 24 hours endurance race last week, which means he is now two-thirds of the way through claiming motorsport's triple crown of the Monaco GP, the Indy 500 and Le Mans
Red Bull announced they were ditching Renault engines for Honda power next year
There was trouble at McLaren as a source inside the team spoke of an unhealthy atmosphere within the team, scoffing at the factory workers getting a low-value chocolate bar as a bonus for working overtime
Lewis Hamilton says he'll be watching the England game before tomorrow's race
The Circuit Paul Ricard
You spin me right round
A new track for the drivers and a fresh surface. It took a bit of familiarisation, quite a few drivers struggled to keep it going forward around the some of the more technical corners.
Spin it �� . #FrenchGP #F1 #Formula1 #PaulRicard #InstaSport
A post shared by FORMULA 1® (@f1) on Jun 22, 2018 at 8:12am PDT
The Circuit Paul Ricard is like a choose your own adventure story...
...in racing track form. Have a look at this view at the area around the numerous chicanes down the Mistral straight. But not for too long.
There's a car in there somewhere ��#FrenchGP ���� #F1pic.twitter.com/eX0vyKXw4T
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 22, 2018
How many drivers will take the wrong turn down there today? Kimi Raikkonen nearly did it yesterday.
Haas find some form after a tough couple of races
Both cars placed in the top 10 for both of Friday's practice sessions. Romain Grosjean, yet to score a point in 2018, was sixth in both sessions in his home Grand Prix. Gunther Steiner, Haas Team Principal, was not surprised at the team's pace.
It's actually not a surprise... that the car is competitive. In Canada, we were quite competitive but we just didn't show it because of what happened. We just need to bring it home. A good race, bring it home... and finally get the points that we should have.
Weather updates...
Of course, we will keep you updated throughout the next hour or so as to how it looks for qualifying. The sun is now out at Paul Ricard, which should help dry the track but it was fairly wet. Fingers crossed for at least some dampness to remain and an unpredictable qualifying.
Hello and welcome to our liveblog for qualifying for the 2018 French Grand Prix
Good afternoon! It's a wet one in Le Castellet and it could be a very, very interesting qualifying session.
The French Grand Prix returns to the F1 calendar for the first time since 2008 and to Paul Ricard for the first time since 1990, when Alain Prost won in his Ferrari. It's a country with a rich racing history (perhaps the richest racing history) and one that deserves a Grand Prix, so it's nice to see it back on the calendar. Remember, this is the start of the first ever triple-header in F1, with Austria next week and the British Grand Prix the week after.
Paul Ricard is not the circuit it once was, quite literally, having been remodeled by the don of circuit design, Herr Hermann Tilke. It was designed as a test track, though, and that is perhaps why there is little enthusiasm for great racing come Sunday. Drivers have also expressed their concerns about the pit entry and pit exits and requested to remove the chicane half-way down the Mistral straight. That won't happen this year.
However, the weather has thrown a smidgen of unpredictability into proceedings. Final practice was almost entirely wet - with only a few drivers able to set representative times. Valtteri Bottas was quickest in his Mercedes, though, with a 1.33.666, ahead of Carlos Sainz by 1.2s. There was heavy rain for most of the session with just a few drivers taking to the track towards the end of the session when the rain eased but the track was still sodden. A very different day to the glorious Friday.
The track is still very damp ahead of qualifying but is currently drying out. Many drivers struggled to find their way on a dry track, so a wet or even damp one could produce unusual results. Much to lose from the top teams and much to gain from the bottom ones. Thunderstorms are currently predicted for tomorrow as well. It could be the first wet race of the season.
Yesterday it was Lewis Hamilton who set a blistering pace, topping both practice sessions. Championship leader Sebastian Vettel seemed to struggle to unlock the pace in his Ferrari. A lot of unknowns going into qualifying then. With a narrow gap separating Vettel and Hamilton in the championship, they both have a lot to lose if it does turn out to be a wet weekend.
I'll be here for the next couple of hours with all the build-up, live updates and reaction from qualifying.
