On of the eve of the French Grand Prix, we take a look at the performances of the French drivers so far this season.
ESTEBAN OCON
The Evreux native may be off form and also the pace that saw him clinch 18 top-10 finishes last season, but he produced a masterclass over the last two races, finishing sixth in Monaco and ninth in Canada.
With 10th, 11th, 12th and two DNFs in his first five races respectively, Ocon showed flashes of confidence in the last two rounds after a poor start to his second season in F1.
In a long season, the 21-year-old has time on his side to transform his form and push Force India into a high midfield place again. He needs a consistent run if he is to be considered for a potential Mercedes seat in the future.
He’s the leading light of the young generation of French drivers, but Leclerc could be even better in a similar car.
PIERRE GASLY
Age: 22
Team: Toro Rosso
Results in 2018: Retired-4-18-12-retired-7-11
The Rouen native continues to cement his reputation as a real talent for the future.
On his second start of the season in Bahrain, he delivered a sumptuous performance to finish fourth, with one slick overtake on Kevin Magnussen midway through the race for one of the standout moments.
In Monaco, he showed superb composure to hold off Nico Hulkenberg to finish seventh. His qualifying performance, making it to Q3 for the first time would have been particularly pleasing for the Red Bull-backed team.
Starting from 16th in Montreal, he showed serious confidence to overtake multiple cars and finish 11th – unable to catch Leclerc in the end for a share of the points but still seriously impressive.
Red Bull will certainly be eyeing up the 22-year-old should Daniel Ricciardo opt to leave at the end of the season.
CHARLES LECLERC
Age: 20
Team: Sauber
Results in 2018: 13-12-19-6-10-18-10
The former GP2 and GP3 champion has demonstrated maturity beyond his years in his first three months in F1 and has gone on to score three top-10 finishes in seven races.
With Leclerc’s 10 points added to the two that teammate Marcus Ericsson netted in Bahrain, Sauber now have 12 points in the constructors’ championship – over twice as many as they scored in the whole of 2017.
Although he may struggle with a team who finished last in the drivers’ standings in 2017, he has to start from somewhere and this season is the perfect building block to his future development.
His performances in Baku, Barcelona and Canada are all sure to be the start of something special for the Monaco resident.
Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull will all be needing replacement drivers over the next three seasons so now is the perfect time for Leclerc to step up and continue to show his mettle as a rising star and future champion.
ROMAIN GROSJEAN
Age: 32
Team: Haas
Results in 2018: Retired-13-17-retired-retired-15-12
After a torrid campaign, the 32-year-old produced his best performance of the season in the last round in Montreal, finishing 12th.
The Geneva native’s best days may well be behind him, but as the senior driver at Haas, he has showed little to stamp his authority over the first third of this season, with teammate Kevin Magnussen achieving more formidable results in six of the seven races.
Now back in his home Grand Prix as such, Grosjean needs to step up after two high-profile mistakes in Baku and Barcelona have put him under great scrutiny. In Baku, he crashed out under the Safety Car period and spun out on the first lap in Barcelona – earning a grid penalty for Monaco.
Although his result in Canada added some riposte, he needs to bounce back again or he could be under pressure for a seat in 2019.
