The 2022 season hits the 12th round as the grid packs up from Austria to Paul Ricard for the French Grand Prix. Last time out, Ferrari recovered from multiple mishaps and is back in the Championship title race. Now, it’s time to see what the fast circuit can deliver as it tests the pace and reliability of the 2022 cars.

Nitrobetting writes down the top storylines of the 2022 French Grand Prix. Here are all the narratives you need ahead of this weekend’s race.

Top Storylines Ahead Of 2022 French Grand Prix

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— Formula 1 (@F1) July 18, 2022

READ MORE: 2022 French Grand Prix Sleeper Picks

Ferrari reappears with momentum

Red Bull’s lengthy six-victory run led us to believe that the championship fight is heading out of Ferrari’s reach before the halfway mark. But, the recent Grand Prix saw a strong comeback from Charles Leclerc as he secured a P1 finish, ahead of Max Verstappen.

Failing to maximize opportunities has been a recurring issue for the Scuderia. Nevertheless, that changed over the previous two races as Carlos Sainz claimed his first-ever Formula 1 victory at Silverstone followed by Leclerc’s win in Austria, which put more pressure on the defending champion.

The two teams have been neck-and-neck for much of the season so far, and we expect the same tension level heading to France. Ferrari needs to address tire wear on the same track a year ago but is anticipated to present better results. Leclerc clawed his way back to the Drivers’ Championship and closed the gap to the Belgian-Dutch leader by 11 points in the past two races.

Mercedes keeping their heads down

Silverstone delivered nothing short of spectacular moments. The storyline includes a Mercedes P3 victory courtesy of seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton. His bold moves on Leclerc and Sergio Perez at the final corner as the three fought for P2 is the most memorable narrative of the season so far.

Fortunately, Mercedes is likely to remain competitive and potentially see more similar results. Paul Ricard is a track that shares some of the same qualities as Silverstone, including high-speed corners, smooth asphalt, and sufficient straight lines.

There’s no room for error here for Red Bull and Ferrari. Now that Mercedes is in the mix, the German team can potentially take points off the top two teams and make their way to the title fight. There’s still a good chance that Hamilton and Russell could snatch points off the leaders, aiding one team, close up the standings, or create wider gaps.

Haas on a hot streak

Mick Schumacher hit his stride in his sophomore year. The young German has been on top of his game in recent weeks. Although he had to wait for 31 races for his first Formula 1 points, he followed up the results with a P6 finish in Austria.

After his first top-ten finish at Silverstone, the 23-year-old recorded his first top-six finish at the Red Bull Ring. This marked Haas’ consecutive double-point score and moved the team back up to seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship. These results alone trump the team’s 2021 season results.

Paul Ricard Circuit seems to be a favored track of Schumacher. This is where he registered his first Q2 appearance last year, and we eagerly await a more competitive showing from the young driver. There’s a good chance of the run progressing for the 2020 Formula 2 champion.

Alpine in home territory

Following a double-points finish in Austria, the French team looks forward to its home race as they try to get ahead of McLaren in the battle for fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. Momentum is on veteran driver Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon’s side this time. The latter finished P5 while the two-time champion claimed the final point of the race at P10. Moreover, Alonso helped Alpine score more points at Silverstone.

The French crowd will be roaring from the stands as they back their team at Le Castellet. Both drivers exhibit positive trends coming into the weekend, providing plenty of reasons to be confident heading into their home race.

A vague future for Daniel Ricciardo

After the Austrian Grand Prix, McLaren invited IndyCar driver Colton Herta to test a 2021 car for the team at Portimao. This was followed by the signing of defending IndyCar champion Alex Palou to their racing program. The announcement stated that he would also drive a 2021 car in the near future. The aforementioned increased speculation over Ricciardo’s future with the team.

The Aussie driver announced that he is going nowhere and locked in with McLaren until 2023. However, it’s no secret that there’s tension between the 33-year-old and his team as he fails to meet expectations. Such speculation leads to probes over driver movements, with Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso yet to confirm their future in the sport. More than that, some seats remain open before the next season takes off. Expect driver market movements to happen before the end of the calendar.

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