Lewis Hamilton’s dream result in France on Sunday would be to celebrate his 300th Formula One race by ending the longest win drought of his record-breaking career, and it is not an impossible one.
The seven-times world champion was once dominant at Le Castellet’s Circuit Paul Ricard, but it has now been 12 races since the Briton last won.
Red Bull and Ferrari, winners of every race this season, will again fancy their chances on a scorching weekend - with forecast temperatures of around 40 Celsius - at a track on a plateau with the Mediterranean in the distance.
Max Verstappen won from pole in June last year, after passing Hamilton on the penultimate lap of a race decided by strategy and tyre wear.
Like Red Bull then, Ferrari are chasing their third win in a row after Carlos Sainz’s Silverstone victory and Charles Leclerc’s success in Austria.
Verstappen is 38 points clear of Leclerc after 11 of 22 races
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