The 2022 Formula 1 season continues and the Grand Circus lands in Paul Ricard, one of the least appreciated circuits by fans and even by drivers. Be that as it may, Le Castellet dresses up to host the French GP and at Motor.es we are ready to tell you everything that happens in the three free practice sessions of the weekend. After a sprint format event in Austria, Formula 1 returns to its usual schedule.
The last Austrian GP was an event of contrasts. Ferrari enjoyed the victory of Charles Leclerc while suffering from Carlos Sainz’s spectacular engine failure. For its part, Max Verstappen minimized damage with a valuable second place in a weekend in which Sergio Pérez took the worst part within Red Bull. Luck was more distributed in Mercedes with third place for Lewis Hamilton -third in a row- and fourth place for George Russell.
‘New’ faces in FP1
The first practice session will have two protagonists different from the usual onesalthough they are not unknown, far from it, for the general public. Nyck de Vries will be at the controls of Lewis Hamilton’s car in the first training session of the weekend in France. The still current champion of Formula E will live his second experience in a Formula 1 during this same season, since replaced Alex Albon in practice 1 of the Spanish Grand Prix.
For its part, Robert Kubica will add a new free practice session behind him, in this case at the wheel of Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo. The Polish driver is more common in these races than Nyck de Vries, but together with the Dutchman he will add a bit of color to the grid. The rest of the seats remain unchanged in some free ones that will be of vital importance to test the remarkable volume of news and updates brought by various teams to the French GP.
Much hot
In the midst of a heat wave in southern and western Europe, the French GP could be one of the events in the history of Formula 1 with the highest temperatures. The forecast is that there will be constant temperatures above 40º C in the environmentwhich in a circuit like Paul Ricard can be very hard due to the configuration of the track, since all the loopholes are on asphalt, making the heat even more concentrated.
In technical terms, this heat will cause wear on top of the tires, so drivers and teams will have to take good care of this aspect. With the fight between Ferrari and Red Bull in full swing, some ‘new’ faces in FP1 and this heat as the protagonist, We welcome the French GP with this direct that will cover the three free sessions. Welcome.