Bonjour!
Welcome to this week’s edition of Top Dog. It’s been a while since we’ve seen F1 at the Circuit Paul Ricard, so hold on to your baguettes because the French GP is back. This race was filled with drama and we were even treated to some classic overtaking, which has been a rarity in previous races.
This weekend we saw a glimmer of hope that Football may be actually coming home after a 6-1 win for England in the World Cup. But that’s not the only thing coming home – that’s right, this week’s Top Dog trophy (and also the winner of the most spectacularly random gorilla winners trophy) goes to the one and only…
…Lewis Hamilton
Lewis supplied us with a flawless drive from start to finish. Most impressively, he managed to navigate the French equivalent of Spaghetti Junction without pulling over and getting the trusty old map out. It seemed like others struggled to find the track in the maze of blue lines during the race. But Lewis lead with determination and never looked back.
After the messy first lap, Lewis was given room to breathe as Sebastian Vettel dropped down through the pack and the Red Bulls struggled to keep up with Lewis’ pace. There were times we’d forget he was even there as they focused on the recovery of Sebastian on our tv screens.
Seriously, he could have popped home for an hour, had a quick bite, maybe even an afternoon snooze and still make it back before anyone could notice he’d gone. This just shows it was another perfect race with very little competition for him.
Before the start, there was the promise of rain, 60% chance to be exact. But as usual the rain dance was unsuccessful and the rain decided to hold off until after the checkered flag had been waved. But if the rain gods had of worked their magic, I’m certain Lewis would have still walked this race.
Today’s result means he has won at every race track that’s featured this year’s calendar. So I guess it’s time to get out the paper and pens and start planning new destinations to add to the fixture list. I’m sure Lewis will be happy to add other tracks to his accomplishments.
Deputy Dogs
I must give an honourable mention to the young Spanish matador, Carlos Sainz, who without the power issues in the closing minutes of the race could have made Top Dog.
He found himself up in P3 after avoiding the chaos at the start. He held his own for a few laps after the safety car period but the excitement was short lived as he slipped down to a respectable P6 which he held on to for the best part of the race. It just wasn’t meant to be but I’m sure it won’t be long before we see him clamber up onto the podium and claim the Top Dog badge, so watch this space.
Overall the fans voted Sebastian driver of the day, but in this dog eat dog world the guy who makes no mistakes is going to win the prize. Congratulations Lewis, you’ve earnt the Top Dog title this weekend.
Next week is the Austrian GP which is race number two in F1s first ever triple-header. Will the hills be alive with the sound of music for again for Lewis? Or will Sebastian finally make it through the traffic to claim Top Dog? Follow Badger for news and previews as we head into the next round.
