French Grand Prix weather update: Organisers warn adverse weather conditions now LIKELY
FRENCH GRAND PRIX – Formula One racing returns to France for the first time since 2008 today as Lewis Hamilton lines up on pole looking for his first-ever win at the Circuit Paul Ricard – but the latest weather updates suggest rain and thunderstorms are on the way.
An official update from the FIA today stated there is a “60% possibility of rain for the race, more likely around 5pm and later.
“One or two showers likely with a high chance of thunderstorms.
“These showers should develop around 2pm-3pm and reach the vicinity of the circuit around 5.30pm.”
Rain might be the necessary ingredient to add a little uncertainty to today’s race, with the course at the Circuit Paul Ricard near Marseille looking short on opportunities to overtake.
Hamilton will have the perfect opportunity to seize back control of the title race from rival Sebastian Vettel, whose victory at the Canadian GP last time out to put him top of the championship race by a single point.
Four-time winner Hamilton will be desperate to hold on to top spot around the track today; victory provide another milestone in the 33-year-old’s storied career, ensuring he has won at all 21 circuits on the race calendar.
“I want this one so bad,” Hamilton said prior to today’s race.
“I need it.”
He will begin ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, with Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo in fourth and fifth respectively.
Addressing the possibility of a downpour today, an excited Ricciardo said: “I am liking the look of these rain clouds.
“If it rains my race could be with any of the top six."
Time will tell if the heavens open – but for the neutral, it could make for a far more intriguing spectacle.
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