The Formula 1 maturity certificate from Le Castellet

SEBASTIAN VETTEL: Lost the race in turn one. His start was good, ultimately even too good. In the crowd behind Lewis Hamilton he lost grip and then crashed into Valtteri Bottas' side. In the end, fifth place for the Ferrari star, who is now at a disadvantage in the World Cup duel with Hamilton, 14 points behind. Commendable: Vettel didn't look for excuses and took responsibility. After the race, he personally apologized to Bottas, "who couldn't do anything about it," as Vettel said. LEWIS HAMILTON: A very confident performance from the world champion. His start-to-finish victory was never in danger; he made the best use of the Mercedes' strengths. The upgrade delivered to France worked satisfactorily. Hamilton raved about a wonderful weekend for the British in view of England's 6-1 gala victory against Panama at the World Cup. "I hope I've done my part," he said. He had.

NICO HÜLKENBERG: Solid weekend for the German, but nothing more. Traveled from Monaco by car to his employer Renault's home game. To ensure more yellow in the stands, the car manufacturer distributed hundreds of “fan packages” in the main stand before the start. Hülkenberg didn't give them any reason to celebrate wildly; in ninth place, he also lost the team's internal duel with Carlos Sainz Jr, who finished eighth.

FERNAND ALONSO: Brilliant winner at the 24-hour race in Le Mans last weekend, back in no man's land in Le Castellet. You can feel sorry for the Spaniard. Alonso is a big name in Formula 1, he is a two-time world champion and one of the best drivers in the paddock. That's no use to him. Alonso is cruising through the World Cup with the weak McLaren, the car is unworthy of a driver of his caliber. In qualifying, the end came in Q1, Alonso seemed to resign: "I don't feel anything, just normality." The race ended after a defect on lap 50. Alonso's future in Formula 1 is open. There really isn't any "business as usual" option for him. He has alternative goals: The only thing missing from the Triple Crown is victory in the Indy 500. CHARLES LECLERC: The young Monegasque showed why he is considered one of the great promises for the future. Showed a convincing weekend. Eighth starting position in the Sauber was a small sensation, even Vettel was impressed: “Impressive!” Leclerc survived the chaos of the first lap of the race unscathed and finished in a good tenth place in the Sauber. In the future, Vettel could follow the 20-year-old's development even more closely than before. Leclerc is considered the hottest contender for Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari cockpit.

LE CASTELLET: The drivers complained about the route, the spectators complained about the traffic chaos. A lot went wrong at the first French Grand Prix in ten years. The Circuit Paul Ricard was confusing because of its many possible layouts, and the chicane on the Mistral straight caused dissatisfaction. But the fans had the biggest problem. Traffic was backed up for miles on the narrow access roads, resulting in delays lasting hours. The organizers urgently need to catch up here.

SAYING OF THE WEEKEND: "Seb should rethink his driving style. This is not acceptable. He should learn from it." (Max Verstappen hits back with a wink. The Red Bull driver himself had recently been harshly criticized for his many accidents, including by Vettel.)

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The Formula 1 maturity certificate from Le Castellet

Vettel's crash, Hamilton's confident performance and the problems of the organizers: the conclusion of the French Grand Prix.

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