Wild plans & Co.: The French Grand Prix under the microscope

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen was unable to prevent Ferrari from winning twice recently. In the twelfth World Cup round, the Dutchman now wants to extend his World Championship lead in France again. The Red Bull star travels to the Grand Prix in Le Castellet this Sunday (15.00 p.m.) with great memories. Last year he won on the way to the title at the Circuit Paul Ricard. Will Max Verstappen finally manage to win again? The 24-year-old's lead over his pursuer Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari is still 38 points in the overall standings. However, Verstappen knows that he has to take as much as possible with him in the last two races before the summer break in France and next week in equally scorching Hungary in order to go on his short vacation in a relaxed manner. All top teams are struggling with reliability problems this year. Both Red Bull and Ferrari have failed too often due to technical defects. The last two race victories went to Leclerc (in Austria) and his Scuderia teammate Carlos Sainz (in Great Britain). Will Mick Schumacher achieve a hat trick of points? After a disappointing start to the season, the 23-year-old has recovered and recently finished in the top ten twice in a row. Sixth place in Austria was the best result of his young career for the Haas driver. His car is currently working very well, so it is absolutely possible to get the next points straight away. But Schumacher remains humble: “It’s only my second year. There is so much more to learn in Formula 1 besides racing. Every day I try to take advantage of that to see where I can improve,” said the son of icon Michael Schumacher.

Got a taste for it: Mick Schumacher. © AFP / JUSTIN TALLIS

Why will it be a special race for Lewis Hamilton? The 37-year-old Brit is facing the next milestone. The Mercedes star is contesting his 300th Grand Prix and is chasing Kimi Räikkönen's record (349). The record world champion has already said that this shouldn't be celebrated because it reminds him too much of his age. It is much more important for Hamilton to take further steps towards Verstappen. The record champion believes in victories this year, but it hasn't been enough so far. However, being the first driver to win the eighth world championship title will probably remain impossible. Hamilton won at Le Castellet in 2018 and 2019 and came second in 2021 - now the Silver Arrows are expected to be strong again. Will it be the last Grand Prix in Le Castellet for the time being? That seems very realistic. The contract with the organizers is expiring and is unlikely to be extended. Since 2018, the races have mostly been too boring, the extensive course has been ridiculed as a huge parking lot. Added to this are Formula 1's ambitious expansion plans, to which France could fall victim if a move to Nice does not take place. However, the wild plans to build a new street circuit there do not seem very realistic in the short term.

Las Vegas will be added to the calendar in 2023, and a return to Qatar and probably also China is planned, and South Africa could also be used again after a decade-long break. In addition to Le Castellet, the races in Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and the Principality of Monaco are also on the line. A fixed racing calendar for 2023 is expected in the coming weeks.

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Wild plans & Co.: The French Grand Prix under the microscope

Half of the Formula 1 season is over, now we're heading to France for the twelfth round of the season. Max Verstappen wants to extend his championship lead on the only partially attractive circuit on the Côte d'Azur. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton is celebrating an anniversary.

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