Mercedes announced that it had found the reasons for its two consecutive failures in Monaco and then in Baku (Azerbaijan).
The German firm also argued that its blunders were mainly linked to the fact that it was two urban circuits, with rather atypical profiles compared to traditional routes.
Finally, behind throughout the free practice sessions this weekend at Le Castellet, the Flèches d'Argent did not really show a better face.
Certainly there has been better, but Max Verstappen's Red Bull remains a tone above the German car.
The rain could come
The Dutchman easily broke away from the peloton in the third practice session, soaring more than seven tenths behind his closest pursuer, Lewis Hamilton. An advantage that the Red Bull driver retained in qualifying more than he took pole position with more than two tenths in advance, still over the reigning world champion. Still borrowed during free practice, the Briton once again performed much better when the green light was given for qualifying. Not enough to challenge the superiority of Max Verstappen.
But an event could turn everything upside down at Le Castellet on Sunday. The weather forecast indicates a fairly good chance of a thunderstorm for the race. With the exception of Imola, where the rain had just stopped a few minutes before the lights went out, the drivers could not really grasp their car in wet conditions. Climatic vagaries which have the particularity of reshuffling the cards and balancing the level of the cars a little. This could therefore serve Hamilton to try to annoy the Dutch, leader of the world championship. A new position for the young driver, who could perhaps force him to play it safe in the face of a possible attack from the seven-time world champion from the first corner. A French Grand Prix that promises to be interesting,more than its last two editions.