Driver debrief by Aramco: French GP
Lance headed Sebastian home to secure a hard-earned championship point in the heat at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Lance finished in 10th place to pick up a valuable point while Sebastian fought his way up the order but just missed out in 11th position.
Both drivers made up positions on the opening lap and were close together on the track in the opening stint and again at the end of the race.
Lance
Starting in 15th, Lance put in a great opening lap to climb up the order into 10th and right in the mix for points.
He avoided contact between Esteban Ocon and Yuki Tsunoda to sit behind Daniel Ricciardo in the early stages of the race.
Lance made his one and only pitstop at the end of lap 18 after a safety car was called out. He swapped his Medium tyres for the Hard compound.
He restarted in 10th behind Ocon, who had served a penalty for the earlier contact, and was also behind the faster car of Carlos Sainz Jr who started behind and was on a different strategy.
Race report by Aramco
Lance and Sebastian battled hard in the heat at Circuit Paul Ricard, with Lance bringing home a valuable point after a great start and Sebastian just missing out on a top-10 result.
For the rest of the race, Lance was able to hold position and keep within close range of Ocon and then Daniel Ricciardo after the Alpine driver overtook the McLaren.
Lance's pace improved as the stint went on and he had a close fight with Sebastian to the line on the final lap and came out on top to secure one championship point in 10th.
Today is a good platform as the summer break approaches.
"We had a great first lap today that set us up to have a great race. I nearly got [Esteban] Ocon in Turn Nine as well, but it was important to have such a good start.
"I felt I had some momentum in the closing stages to possibly catch [Daniel] Ricciardo.
"We are continuing our trend of being more competitive on a Sunday so today is a good platform as the summer break approaches.
"I had a snap on the exit on the last lap because I was struggling with my tyres at the very end. It was a good fight with Sebastian, but the most important thing was to bring a point home for the team today."
Sebastian
Sebastian started the race on the Medium compound tyre, and gained a position on the opening lap to be in 11th behind Lance early on.
He sat close behind his team-mate, until the safety car was called on lap 18. Due to Lance being close ahead, Sebastian did one extra lap before his pitstop to avoid stacking, which would have lost him several positions due to the delay.
The race resumed on lap 21 and Sebastian restarted from 13th on the Hard tyres. He gained a position when Pierre Gasly spun.
Sebastian then fought and passed Alexander Albon's Williams to take 11th. His pace continued to pick up as the race went on and a late Virtual Safety Car for Zhou Guanyu's stopped car.
We are not fighting over one point – it is the same net result for the team.
He closed up to Lance in the final moments of the race, going side-by-side into the final corner but just missed out on a points finish in 11th place.
"My afternoon was frustrating. I was stuck in traffic for the whole race – but you expect that when you start in the midfield.
"And, with the strategy, I do not think there was really much more the team could have done there.
"It is clear that we need more grip. In the race, things were not too bad – the cars ahead of us were not disappearing – and we also understand the car a little bit more after this weekend.
"I had a chance to pass Lance on the final lap; I was a little bit faster but we are not fighting over one point – it is the same net result for the team. It does not make any difference."
All in. All welcome. All celebrated. Sign up to open up a world of I / AM benefits and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
