What's at stake at Magny-Cours?

Today, Thursday 28th June, it is cold and grey in the Nievre, home to the French Grand Prix. The temperature has difficulty in rising above 17°C and black clouds hover over the circuit. The ING Renault F1 Team drivers and their engineered reconnoitred the track well wrapped up. Between technical observations and discussions about the best lines to take, they had time to talk about what’s at stake this weekend.

After Monaco, Canada and Indianapolis the MP4/22s will be after another victory this weekend. They had some new aero parts last week during the Silverstone test, clear proof that the British squad is not taking anything for granted despite its 35-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship. They will start favourite for this weekend ahead of the Scuderia and the battle between BMW and Renault.

Not really. At present it’s just sporting rivalry. What’s certain is that the reigning world champion did not expect to be under such pressure from Hamilton, and given Lewis’s raw pace he knows he has to push all weekend. Fernando Alonso in currently lying second in the drivers’ championship 10 points behind his team-mate. It is not an insurmountable handicap but he has to start to close the gap this weekend. “The championship’s really starting for me now,” he stated on arriving in France. Ferando is highly-motivated and his pride has been hurt so he will out to have a perfect weekend.

It could well be. The Scuderia, which has run into various problems since the start of the season, is now 35 points behind McLaren. With the halfway mark coming up it must close the gap if it wants to challenge for the title this year. Kimi Raïkkönen seems persuaded that the car has made a step forward thanks to the new parts tested last week; “But we’ll have to see if it’s enough to get back to the front,” sighed the Finn. He is 26 points adrift of Hamilton in the drivers’ title chase while his team-mate, Felipe Massa, is 19 points in arrears.

The team is in an optimistic frame of mind for the coming weekend. Over the last few races it had made progress. In addition, the recent tests have been positive and the last couple of grand prix have shown that the R27s have closed the gap to the BMWs. “We’re back on the pace since Monaco,” commented Pat Symonds, the executive engineering director. The team has also been boosted by Heikki Kovalainen’s strong showings in the Canadian and USA Grand Prix. The Finn will be racing on a track that he knows like the back of his hand, and together with Giancarlo Fisichella, forms a well-balanced tandem.