2021 F1 French Grand Prix - Qualifying - As it happened

Formula 1 embarks on its first triple-header of 2021 as the Paul Ricard Circuit plays host to this weekend’s French Grand Prix. 

Originally scheduled for next weekend, the French GP was moved a week earlier following the cancellation of the Turkish Grand Prix.

Making its debut on the F1 calendar in 2018, the Paul Ricard Circuit hasn’t thrown up any exciting races so far with the two races at Le Castellet dominated by Lewis Hamilton.

It’s been a great circuit for Mercedes as it looks to bounce back from two disappointing weekends in Monaco and Baku. 

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CRASH.NET's LIVE F1 COVERAGE OF THE 2021 FRENCH GRAND PRIX

Hamilton trails Max Verstappen by just four points in the drivers’ championship, while Red Bull has a 26-point lead in the constructors’ following Sergio Perez’s first win with the team last time out.

After starring on the street circuits, Ferrari is expecting a downturn in performance which could allow McLaren to reclaim third.

Alpine will be eyeing a strong performance on home soil, especially as Esteban Ocon has just signed a new three-year deal with the team. 

What to expect from this weekend?

Conditions are expected to remain dry through Friday and Saturday, with there being a high chance of rain before the start of the race.

Pirelli has nominated the C2, C3 and C4 tyres for this weekend.

Ahead of the weekend, Pirelli's Mario Isola said: “We’re back to the combination of tyres used for the first two races of this year, right in the middle of the range. This is the most versatile combination, well suited to a wide variety of different demands, and this is also what makes it a good match for the Paul Ricard circuit, which contains an interesting mix of corners. 

“This also makes Paul Ricard a good testing venue, and while we’ve not had a Formula 1 race there for two years, we’ve been testing next year’s 18-inch wet tyres at this track earlier in the season, and we also raced there last month in the GT World Challenge. For France, we’re sticking with the same nomination we had at the last French Grand Prix, which resulted in a one-stopper for most of the drivers. However, we saw that there were a few different types of one-stopper that were run, giving rise to a number of distinct strategies.”