Coming into the French Grand Prix weekend, the smooth track surface and long straights of the Circuit Paul Ricard were expected to work in Mercedes’ favour as they hunt their first win of the season. However, by qualifying, they had been trying all sorts of different set-ups to figure out how to maximise performance, without truly making a dent on Red Bull and Ferrari’s advantage. The German side have struggled throughout the 2022 season to find performance in their misbehaving W13, but Sir Lewis Hamilton dragged the car to fourth in France on Saturday, while George Russell qualified sixth behind McLaren’s Lando Norris. Given Carlos Sainz’s pace before his penalty was applied, that...
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