F1 Raceweek: Vettel under pressure - French GP in numbers

With Sebastian Vettel facing a tough race, Opta numbers bring to light some of the key stats relating to this weekend's French Grand Prix.

Published : Jun 20, 2019 01:34 IST

The French Grand Prix looks a tough race in prospect for Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel, who was stripped of victory in Canada last time out and has been told the Circuit Paul Ricard does not suit his car.

Vettel was hit with a penalty for dangerous driving in Montreal, allowing Lewis Hamilton to claim the win and extend his lead in the drivers' standings to 29 points.

Hamilton will be optimistic that another successful weekend lies in store after Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto admitted the track was "a tricky circuit" for his team in 2018.

The championship leader dominated in France last year while Vettel collided with Valtteri Bottas at the first corner, but Ferrari remain the most successful team at the French GP, winning 17 races and taking 17 poles.

READ| Gasly hopes 'special' home grand prix can prove turning point

As the race draws near, we shed some light on Le Castellet using Opta numbers.

3  – Bottas needs just one win to take his 2019 tally of victories level with the rest of his F1 career combined (three).

5  – The French GP is a source of home comfort for Renault, who have won more times here (five) than at any other race.

8  – Michael Schumacher is the French GP's most successful driver, winning the race eight times, but Alain Prost has the most wins at its current home with four.

9  – The winner of nine of the last 15 races at Circuit Paul Ricard has started in pole position.

15  – It has been a torrid run for Vettel, who has finished 15 grands prix without winning – the worst sequence of his F1 career, excluding retirements.

16  - Max Verstappen is enjoying his best run of F1 finishes, having completed 16 grands prix in a row.

26  – Vettel will equal Kimi Raikkonen's record of being the driver with the most podiums in different F1 grands prix (26) should he achieve a top-three finish on Sunday.

300  – This will be Raikkonen's 300th GP, making him the fifth driver to surpass the milestone after Rubens Barrichello (323), Fernando Alonso (312), Michael Schumacher (307) and Jenson Button (306).

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