The Red Bull driver took the fifth F1 pole position of his career and the first since the 2021 season opener in Bahrain with a breathtaking late lap on the Circuit Paul Ricard to stay away from the Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
Hamilton will line up alongside Verstappen – who admitted he didn’t expect to be that strong compared to Mercedes on a track where he’s been unbeaten since his return to the calendar in 2018 – and Bottas for beating first all weekend disprove a “myth” that his French GP fights were caused by the chassis swap with the Finn.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix winner Sergio Perez finished fourth for Red Bull after initially battling for pace in practice.
Home favorite Pierre Gasly starts from sixth place for AlphaTauri after his first time commitment in Q3 of qualifying was canceled because he exceeded the track limits in Turn 6.
Gasly split the Ferrari pair, with Charles Leclerc, pole sitter from Monaco and Baku, suffering a “disaster” in seventh place, ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso.
Daniel Riccardo completed the top 10 in the sister McLaren.
Esteban Ocon narrowly missed the pole position shootout in eleventh for Alpine, but stayed ahead of Sebastian Vettel from Aston Martin and Antonio Giovinazzi from Alfa Romeo.
George Russell showed his usual strong performance in qualifying and finished 14th for Williams, while Mick Schumacher made it into Q2 for the first time but was unable to participate in the session after crashing his Haas late in Q1.
The first phase of qualifying was interrupted twice for two red flags, the first when AlphaTauris Yuki Tsunoda crashed at Turn 1, followed by the late interruption due to Schumacher’s off at Turn 6.
Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT02, is assisted by marshals after falling in the first quarter
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
When is the F1 French Grand Prix?
- Date: Sunday, June 20, 2021
- Start time: 2:00 p.m. BST, 3:00 p.m. local time
Round seven of the 2021 F1 season, the French GP at the Paul Ricard Circuit in Le Castellet, will begin on Sunday June 20 at 3 p.m. local time (2 p.m. BST).
How can I see the French GP?
In the UK, Sky Sports owns the exclusive live broadcast rights of F1, with the French GP race being broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Pre-race coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. BST before the race starts at 2 p.m. BST.
After the race, live Sky Sports F1 coverage will continue to track the post-race reaction from waving the checkered flag until 5:30 p.m. BST.
Autosport offers live text commentary for the French GP.
When can I see the highlights?
In the UK, Channel 4 will broadcast the highlights of the French GP on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. BST. The full program runs over two and a half hours and includes the pre-race, the racing highlights and the first reaction after the race to conclude the main topics of discussion of the race weekend.
Throughout the 2021 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast the highlights of every qualifying and race on Saturday and Sunday of every event. The highlights will also be available through Channel 4’s on-demand catch-up service.
- channel: Channel 4
- Start time: 6:30 p.m. BST
Will it be on the radio?
Live radio broadcasts of every practice session, qualifying session and race for the 2021 F1 season will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra.
Coverage of the French GP will begin at 1:45 p.m. BST on BBC Radio 5 Live, which is available online, on DAB radio and on the BBC Sounds app.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Weather forecast for the French GP
Current weather forecasts predict cloudy but dry conditions, with a small chance of rain before the race and some strong winds throughout the day of the race. At the start of the race, 28 degrees Celsius are expected – around five degrees warmer than the Azerbaijan GP.
How many laps is the French GP?
The race is to complete 53 laps on the Circuit Paul Ricard and cover a total distance of 309.69 km.
Will there be fans at the French GP?
Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the French GP is limited to a maximum capacity of 15,000 fans on each day of the race weekend’s track action.
