© Getty ImagesTop Five Moments From Paul RicardThe best parts from round 12 of the 2022 season
PaulRicardalwaysdeliversanexcitingracefullofthrillsanditwasnodifferentthisyear.WithanotherwinunderthebeltfortheTeam,welookatthetopfivemoments…
On lap six of the race when Max tried to get in front of race leader Charles Leclerc by going around the outside through Le Beausset but couldn’t quite get there, he could have lost his cool and kept pushing, but the Dutchman stayed calm and bided his time. It was unfortunate that Charles crashed out so early in the race, because as Max said: “It could have been a really fun race because both cars were so quick.” But the Championship leader didn’t race off into the distance and risk his tyres, staying as cool as possible to bring his RB18 home comfortably.
Our Champ Earns Another Win© Getty Images
TheFastestTeamInThePitLane
Once again, the pit crew proved their worth with the quickest pitstop of the race. The Team’s time of 2.44s was just shy of one-tenth of a second quicker than second placed AlphaTauri. This result keeps the team top of the standings of the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award with 277 points, 28 points ahead of McLaren in P2.
In And Out Of The Pits In No Time© Getty Images
TheRespectAmongstTheDrivers
When Charles Leclerc crashed out on lap 18, Max was on the radio to Race Engineer GP straight away to ask if the Ferrari driver was hurt after he had collided with the barriers. It was a sign that although the drivers are in stiff competition with each other there is no malice and that everyone wanted a good competitive race. Afterwards Christian Horner echoed Max’s sentiments by saying: “The most important thing is that Charles is ok.”
It was a terrible time for tyres in the heat at Circuit Paul Ricard. With track temperatures hitting 55˚C it was always going to be a tough day for the Pirelli rubber, but Max was able to put in 37 laps on his hard tyre. Pitting on lap 15, Max had dropped to P6 so had to work the tyres hard to get back into the lead. He did that and was able to win the race, 10 seconds ahead of second-placed Lewis Hamilton.
Which Way? We Might Need A GPS To Stick To The Right Track Variation© Getty Images
With Max winning and Checo finishing in P4, the Team is pulling away in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. In the constructors’ standings, the Team sits on the top with 396 points 82 ahead of Ferrari and 126 in front of third-placed Mercedes. Max has collected 233 points this season and is 63 ahead of Charles Leclerc, Checo is on 163 in P3, just seven points behind the Ferrari man. But with 10 races still to go, there’s everything still to fight for.
Max Looking A Bit Too Excited To Be Showering Everyone In Red Bull© Getty Images
