Formula 1 returned to Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, Var, France for a refreshingly exciting race at the historic track.
Formula 1 held its 59th French Grand Prix at a circuit that is well-known to watchers of a specific vintage. The Circuit Paul Ricard held its last Formula 1 competition in 1990 when Alain Prost collected his 42nd win while driving for Ferrari and beat out the surprisingly competitive Leyton House-Judd of Ivan Capelli and the McLaren-Honda of Ayrton Senna.
The 2018 running of the French Grand Prix could not have come at a better time for the sport. If you ignore Lewis Hamilton driving off into the sunset and pulling away from the field, one could be convinced that Formula 1 cars have indeed been designed to race other Formula 1 cars. For the rest of the field, an early melee in turn one sent cars scattering off onto the blue and red zebra stripes that mesmerized drivers and fans alike.
Lewis Hamilton utilized his fresh Mercedes power unit to escape the first lap drama and dominate the 53-lap competition around the 3.630-mile (5.842-kilometer) circuit.