“It’s a beautiful Sunday everyone” – Lewis Hamilton after winning the French Grand Prix and taking the lead in the driver’s championship.

The British driver won the French GP last weekend after Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel crashed into Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas at the start of the race.

The race was the first held at Le Castellet since 1990 and was missed by many F1 supporters who found themselves stuck in horrendous traffic. Some were waiting in traffic for 5.5 hours and were still 2 hours away from the track!

Whilst Vettel conceded that ‘it was my mistake’ there were many including (somewhat predictably) Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda who thought the penalty to relegate him to the back of the field was too lenient.

New DRS zone added

There will be an additional DRS zone added for this weekend’s race. This will make 3 in total on the 4.3km circuit and should create some excitement at Turn 3 which is traditionally one of the key overtaking places at the Red Bull Ring.

NOTE: For those punters new to Formula 1, DRS stands for ‘drag reduction system’. Opening up an adjustable flap on the rear wing can add between 10-12km/h to the speed of a car (FIA). The ‘DRS activation zone’ is simply the area of the course you can use the DRS.

Ricciardo misses key opportunity in France

Whilst his performance in France propelled him to third overall in the drivers championship, 4th position at the Circuit Paul Ricard was a missed chance for Ricciardo to secure a podium. Damage to the wing of his Red Bull before a pit stop cost the Australian and he will continue to push the top drivers in Austria.

We think Ricciardo will be right in the mix at the Red Bull Ring but with Vettel unlikely to repeat his mistakes, Hamilton in excellent form and Bottas looking to make amends after last weekend it will be crowded at the top.

FINAL SAY: Whilst Esteban Ocon (Force India) and Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso) retired from the French GP after Vettel’s crash, it was Bottas who was the biggest casualty of the top drivers.

The Ferrari driver finished 5th but it was Bottas who could manage only 7th after starting the race ahead of Vettel on the grid. After lamenting that ‘my race was lost in Turn One’ we think the Finnish driver will have a point to prove in Austria. He offers excellent value to finish on the podium.

BEST BETS:  Valtteri Bottas – podium finish ($2.20), Daniel Ricciardo Podium Finish – No ($2.50)