Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton finished first and second respectively at the French Grand Prix on Sunday, making it the second time this season that Hamilton would finish right next to Verstappen, after the Austrian GP. The Dutch driver claimed the lead after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed his car around Lap 18 and failed to finish, something that has happened to him more than a few times this season.

The podium on Sunday looked like what we witnessed in 2021 when both Verstappen and Hamilton were rivals, always finishing ahead of each other for most of the races. This season, Hamilton has struggled, but in the past few races, he has managed to impress, and his P2 finish at the French GP is his highest so far and shows signs of a promising future. Hamilton’s teammate, George Russell, finished third to complete the podium.

Verstappen continues to top the leaderboard, where he now leads with 63 points, just ahead of Leclerc. With 10 races left in the season, Verstappen is very much on his way to winning his second world championship title.

Earlier this season, it was Leclerc that led with 46 points after three races. But crashes that have forced him not to finish races have seen his points thin, and he is just 7 points ahead of Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez. His performance in his next race would determine whether he stays on number 2 or slips to 3.

Hamilton, who raced his 300th race on Sunday, has continued to improve. His performance in the first few races of the season were quite surprising for a seven-time world champion. He had complained during the pre-season testing that the W13 needed some improvements, and it was very obvious when the season started that he was not wrong.

These past few weeks, however, there have been observable changes, and it might not be long before we see Hamilton claim his first victory of the season.

Written by: Leon Osamor