French Grand Prix 2019 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Lewis Hamilton cruised to victory at the French Grand Prix, dominating from pole position to extend his championship lead while Mercedes secured their sixth consecutive one-two finish. The British driver controlled the race from lights to flag at Circuit Paul Ricard, managing his pace expertly in the scorching southern French heat. Hamilton's victory was clinical and relatively straightforward, demonstrating Mercedes' continued supremacy as the season approached its halfway point. The win marked his fifth triumph of the campaign and moved him 36 points clear in the drivers' standings.

Valtteri Bottas followed his teammate home in second place to complete another Mercedes procession, though the Finnish driver was unable to mount any serious challenge for the victory. Charles Leclerc secured his best result since Bahrain with third place for Ferrari, salvaging a decent points haul on a weekend where the Scuderia struggled to match Mercedes' pace. Sebastian Vettel could only manage fifth after colliding with Max Verstappen on the opening lap, with the Red Bull driver forced to retire from the incident. Vettel set the fastest lap despite the early contact that damaged his Ferrari's front wing and necessitated an additional pit stop.

The French Grand Prix was criticized for being processional, with limited overtaking action on the wide runoff-heavy circuit. The main talking point was Mercedes' relentless consistency, as they extended their points advantage to seemingly insurmountable proportions. Hamilton's victory left little doubt about the championship destination, even with half the season still remaining. Ferrari's inability to challenge Mercedes even on a power-sensitive circuit like Paul Ricard underscored their struggles to translate qualifying pace into race-winning performance.