McLaren CEO Zak Brown remains confident that Fernando Alonso will stay in Formula 1 with the British team beyond the end of this season.

The past few weeks have been very difficult for the Woking-based outfit having failed to score a point since Spain and then the past 10 days or so have been dogged by reports of unrest within the company and frustration at the inability to solve their current lack of performance.

Indeed, McLaren was the second worst team at the French GP this past weekend, with Alonso finishing last of the classified finishers just a week after winning the Le Mans 24 Hours.

“Fernando’s very happy at the world of McLaren," Brown insists as he quoted by PlanetF1.

“He’s yet to make a decision. We have a very good relationship with him, he’s been with us now for quite a long time and it depends ultimately on what and where we race and how our F1 car’s developing."

After adding a second leg of the Triple Crown to his resume the expectation is Alonso will at least attempt the Indy 500 again in 2019, but after reports of McLaren interest in Daniel Ricciardo for next season, some are wondering if the Spaniard could leave F1 permanently.

“I’m optimistic Fernando will stay in the family, in the F1 car," Brown reiterated. “As long as he feels we can make a step forward I think it’s something he’d like to continue to do.”

During Sunday's race at Paul Ricard, the double world champion was heard getting frustrated and at one point claiming he "didn't care". Later though, he explained it was linked to what he considered ambitious radio calls from the pit wall.

“On the radio the team was definitely overexcited, telling me the gaps with the fifth guy, the sixth guy,” Alonso revealed.

“I was last after the Safety Car and I had a problem with the brakes overheating, I had one set of tyres for the whole race because we stopped on lap one to fit the yellow tyres so I think it was a defensive race.

“It was not frustration but we know that this weekend we’ve been quite uncompetitive,” he concluded.

Though Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were at odds with each other, the Formula 1 stewards blamed them both for the first lap crash at the French GP.

Ocon, carrying some damage from contact with Romain Grosjean at Turn 1, for which he was later penalised, would sweep across the track entering Turn 3 where Gasly was trying to go down the inside.

The result was inevitable with the Toro Rosso smashing into the Force India, taking both Frenchman out of their first home race and requiring a Safety Car to clear the debris.

"I took a good start, I was alongside Romain, I had one wheel already over the white line so I was already on the edge of the track," Ocon explained afterwards.

"There was nothing, nobody on the [other] side of Romain and I got a massive hit, so from that I think I would've retired already, the hit was so big that all my side and probably the radiator was damaged.

"And after that, Pierre lost it on the brake and hit me from the back."

In his defence, Gasly suggested it was more the drastic change of line across the track from his compatriot that resulted in his collision.

"I saw that he hadn’t seen me and he was going to cross completely to the inside, so I tried to brake even more - I could see already what was going to happen," he said.

"I tried to cut as much on the inside as possible but I couldn’t disappear."

In their assessment, the stewards slapped both drivers with reprimands, believing they were both overambitious.

"The driver of car 31 [Ocon] was optimistic in his move from the left of the track across to the apex of the corner. The driver of car 10 [Gasly] was also overly optimistic in his late braking into the corner," their findings read.

"The stewards are of the view that both drivers made errors which contributed to the collision."

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes could finally be about to put months of speculation to rest, with the announcement of a new contract expected "very soon".

The world champion has been widely expected to extend his stay with the German manufacturer, as they remain one of if not the leading team on the grid and Lewis too, has insisted he remains motivated in Formula 1.

However, the more time that has passed without confirmation, some have begun to wonder if there is a hold-up, pointing to commitments away from the track and even the basics of his salary.

“We don’t want to drag it out much longer.," Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff told Sky Sports on Sunday. "I expect it to be done very, very soon.”

A likely time could well be next week to coincide with Hamilton's home race, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Interestingly, Wolff then immediately suggested that it wouldn't just be the Briton that would be confirmed.

“Valtteri [Bottas] is doing an exceptional job,” the Austrian added. “At the moment there is no reason to change the line-up.”

If that is the case, then it effectively rules out any thoughts Daniel Ricciardo had of switching to another top three after Ferrari ruled out signing the Australian last week, and instead are focusing on Charles Leclerc.

Also Read:

• Horner believes Ricciardo wants to stay with Red Bull in 2019
• Ricciardo suggest move to non-top-three team has some "appeal"

One option that does appear on the table is McLaren after Red Bull's Helmut Marko claimed big money was being offered to likely replace Fernando Alonso and now the British team has admitted contact with the 28-year-old.

“Obviously we love Daniel, I personally have known him for many, many years. He is doing a good job with Red Bull,” racing director Eric Boullier told Reuters.

“As long as a driver of that calibre is on the market you look if there is any discussion possible. But at this time of year it’s still too early to talk about our driver line-up for the future, so just a normal, gentle discussion.”

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed damage to his Red Bull front wing was responsible for the drop-off in pace that resulted in him losing a podium place at the French GP.

The Australian was running comfortably in third but after his pit-stop would drop back from his teammate Max Verstappen rapidly, falling into the clutches of Kimi Raikkonen on newer, faster tyres, with the Finn making a move into the Mistral chicane.

Speaking after the race, Ricciardo, who was already unhappy with his car after qualifying, admitted there was nothing he could do.

"The boys said the front left part of the wing was damaged,” he said. “They think it happened about two laps before the pit stop because I started, all of a sudden, to get quite a lot of understeer.

“I don’t know if it was a failure or we hit some debris but that broke, so then already with the soft tyre, we were struggling when we left the pits and then I think a few laps later the team said the right part broke, so both parts identically seemed to break.

"Because of that we had a lot less downforce and understeering so with Kimi, he was always going to catch us with that pace,” Ricciardo added. “But as I said, we were a wounded car from just before the first pit stop.” 

As for teammate Max Verstappen, he scored what was his third podium in four races at Paul Ricard, benefiting from the first lap collision between Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas to inherit second.

“It was good,” he commented. “I tried to follow Lewis. He was controlling the pace.

“I didn’t have to work very hard for it but it’s good to be in the podium.”

Charles Leclerc could have been pleased to convert his first Q3 appearance into a points finish on Sunday, instead, he was frustrated not to do better than P10 at the French GP.

Starting eighth, well ahead of what many believe his Sauber car is capable of, the Monegasque battled hard, moving ahead of Kimi Raikkonen at the start, but would slip back eventually having to settle for the final point.

A key moment came in those early laps, as he tried to keep pace with the cars around him, and talking after the race it was that which was his main focus.

"I'm happy, but I'm always hard on myself and I'm a little bit disappointed with myself," Leclerc told Sky F1.

"At one point I was catching Kevin, we were in his DRS zone. I really wanted to do the best first sector I could to be as close as possible to try and overtake him, but I lost the car in Turn 2 and we lost the position to Nico [Hulkenberg].

"It's like this, we've had a very good run in the last couple of races, with not many mistakes from both sides, so sometimes it happens and I'll try to learn from it and come back stronger."

What that does prove is, while many are already hailing him as a future star, the 20-year-old is never satisfied and that is the kind of mentality that separates the good from the great.

It was his fourth top 10 in five races though and looking forward, Leclerc admits it is hard to know just how competitive his car actually is.

"I haven't driven any other cars but we are definitely rebuilding the team. They are coming back from two very hard years," he commented.

"For now we are seeing the progress, this is nice to see.

"I think there is quite a lot of jobs to do, but today we managed to hit our balance in the perfect way and that's helped to have such a performance."

The two sides of Fernando Alonso were on show after the Spaniard finished last of the classified finishers at the French Grand Prix on Sunday.

After a disappointing qualifying, which saw both McLaren drivers knocked out in Q1, the double world champion appeared to lose motivation in the race running outside the points, and particularly changed his attitude after being overtaken by teammate Stoffel Vandoorne.

Indeed, with just five laps to go, Alonso gave up the 13th place he was holding to pit for Ultrasoft tyres in an attempt to set the fastest lap, something that is merely a matter of pride rather than yielding any reward.

He would fail in that pursuit too, eventually coming home in 16th after pulling into the pits on the final lap, and initially, the response he gave was in line to what most were expecting.

“This was by far the worst performance of the year,” Alonso said. “So, I really hope it is a one-off and not the normality.

“All the race we were on the back foot, from the start we had to avoid a lot of accidents, people seemed to shortcut the circuit and nothing happened. We stayed on the circuit and came last.

"At the end, we had a suspension problem and couldn’t even see the chequered flag," he added. "So not a very competitive weekend for us but in five days we have another opportunity to forget this and I really hope that Austria and Silverstone will be better circuits for us."

Later though, he was asked if he'd rather be back at Le Mans where he won a week prior and his outlook was completely different.

“I’m surprised how negative you are because as I say, we are the 20 top drivers in the world and the questions are how I manage to be positive, how I manage to smile, how I manage to breathe, to eat – I manage quite well, you know and I feel very privileged,” he stated.

All of this comes as speculation over a switch to IndyCar continues and with Red Bull's Helmut Marko suggestion McLaren are after Daniel Ricciardo, it does make you wonder if this will be Fernando's last year in F1.

Max Verstappen took the opportunity to scold the media over their reaction to Sebastian Vettel's first-lap crash at the French Grand Prix.

The Dutch driver has come under heavy scrutiny for his own driving on several occasions this season, losing his cool with one journalist in the press conference in Canada.

After Vettel collided with Valtteri Bottas at the first corner on Sunday at Paul Ricard, the Red Bull driver got some payback and hoped the Ferrari driver would be held to the same standard.

"I think next time you see Seb you should ask him to change his style," Verstappen said at the post-race press conference after finishing second.

"Because honestly, it’s not acceptable, that’s what they said to me at the beginning of the season, so I think they should do the same!

"And then, of course, Seb shouldn't do anything, and just drive again and learn from this and go on. That’s my advice to everyone in this room.

"Everybody was trying to go, to try and get a position," he added. "At the end of the day, you know, people can make mistakes. So, yeah, that happened."

Elaborating further when talking to Sky Sports, the 20-year-old believes the level of scrutiny drivers are under is unfair.

"They shouldn't do it at all," Max claimed. "Mistakes happen, and it happens to the best of us, as you can see today. It just makes me angry, because for sure it won't be as bad on him as it was for me.

"All the time they came to me [saying] that I should change my approach and all these stupid comments but I didn't change a thing, and now everything is going right."

Also Read:

• Ricciardo reveals reason for slow pace which cost him Paul Ricard podium

Indeed now Verstappen has scored podiums in three of his past four races and is hopeful to continue that run at Red Bull's home race this weekend in Austria.

"Red Bull has been on the podium for the last two races out there," he said. "We are a bit compromised on the straights but somehow it was always not too bad.

"I’m also looking forward to the weekend because I think a lot of Dutch fans are coming out so a lot of orange around, so that’s always good."

Sebastian Vettel accepted he was to blame for the first lap incident which ended his and Valtteri Bottas' chances at the French Grand Prix.

After a good start on the Ultrasoft tyre, the Ferrari driver would tag the left-rear of the Finn's Mercedes after locking his brakes into Turn 1 trying to pull out of an overtaking move.

The result would be front wing damage for the German and a puncture for Bottas, forcing both into recoveries from the back of the field.

“My start was too good and then I ended up with nowhere to go,” Vettel told reporters post-race.

“It was my mistake. I tried to brake early and get out of it but I had no room. Valtteri tried to get his position back which is fair enough but then I had nowhere to go.

“The turn goes left and I tried to slow down but with that little grip, I, unfortunately, made contact with Valtteri.”

Unsurprisingly, Bottas wasn't so calm in his assessment of what took place.

“We were going side-by-side I went for the outside, left enough room for him, but he went wide and hit me," he told Sky Sports. "I got a puncture and damage to the floor, which compromised the race."

Vettel was penalised five seconds for the incident, however, such was his speed in coming through the field, he would still manage to finish fifth, two places ahead of the Mercedes he hit.

“Ultimately, you shouldn’t really be able to finish ahead of him if you took him out of the race,” race winner Lewis Hamilton commented.

“We are all going into Turn 1 as hard as we could but ultimately when someone destroys your race through an error and it’s kind of a tap on the hand really, and [he is] just allowed to come back and still finish ahead of that person he took out. It doesn’t weigh up.

“It’s disappointing for the team because we had a chance to get a one-two and that’s the ultimate goal,” the Brit added. “Valtteri really had done a solid job all weekend, as he has really been doing this year.”

Lewis Hamilton admitted victory at the French Grand Prix was never really in doubt as he spent much of the race looking after his new Mercedes engine.

His main competition was effectively taken out at the first corner when Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas collided with Max Verstappen inheriting second for Red Bull.

Though the Dutchman would remain within touching distance for most of the 53 laps, the world champion concedes that was mostly because his focus was elsewhere.

"I had it in the bag for a long time," he told Sky Sports F1. "Once I got in the lead, I got to about 10 laps before my stop, I think, I turned [the engine] down a little bit.

"I'm always really conscious of the engine, so whenever I can, if I can push a bit more and turn the engine down and make up for that time you lose from turning it down, I just do it in the driving. That's what I did today.

"I went back up because Max's pace was really good, but then after my stop, I was able to run in quite a comfortable position, I was never really challenged pace-wise," he added.

His victory now means the Mercedes driver has the full collection of at least one win at every race on the current F1 calendar, with Paul Ricard the 26th different Grand Prix he has won since debuting in 2007.

"I feel very grateful, just grateful for a solid weekend," he continued, having not won since his similarly dominant victory in Spain last month.

"I enjoyed the race. The weather was good and the fans have been crazy today - it's been really good to see so many people here. Best French Grand Prix I've ever had!" Hamilton declared.

Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a comfortable Sunday afternoon drive around Paul Ricard to claim victory at the French GP after his two main rivals collided at Turn 1.

Sebastian Vettel tried to make the most of his Ultrasoft tyres at the start off the line but would find himself boxed in behind the two Mercedes' on the run to the first corner.

Pulling out of an overtake, the Ferrari driver would then lock his brakes approaching Turn 1 and hit the back of Valtteri Bottas, damaging his front wing and puncturing the left-rear tyre of the Finn's Silver Arrow.

Both would put for repairs, promoting Max Verstappen upto second in the Red Bull with Carlos Sainz running third for Renault in the early stages, having overtaken Daniel Ricciardo.

That wouldn't be the only action on a chaotic first lap as at Turn 3, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly would collide taking both Frenchman out of their home race and necessitating a Safety Car to clear the debris away.

The four-lap pause would allow Vettel and Bottas to catch the back of the field after their pit-stops, with several other drivers also moving to the Soft compound tyre, potentially looking to go to the end of the race.

When the race did resume, the Ferrari and Mercedes wasted little time in starting to gain positions, with Vettel actually passing Alonso at Turn 3, with the Spaniard going into a spin by himself.

The German's race would be compromised though, as the stewards gave him a five-second time penalty for causing the collision at the start.

Up front, Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen would pass Sainz as overtaking proved much easier around Paul Ricard than many expected but nothing was bothering Hamilton as he opened up a four-second margin in the lead over Verstappen in second.

What was notable as Vettel & Bottas made their way through the pack was how much easier it was for the Ferrari driver as he quickly found himself back in the top 10 and ahead of the midfield while the Mercedes, with some floor damage, found it a little harder.

The race did enter a lull as teams watched out for a possible threat of rain, however, when it faded, the two Red Bulls would kick-start the pit-stop phase switching to the Soft compound tyre.

Verstappen and Ricciardo would come out either side of the recovering Vettel, though the Australian quite quickly caught and passed his former teammate at Turn 11.

Hamilton's advantage had grown to seven-seconds before Verstappen's stop and that allowed him to wait until he approached traffic, some seven laps later, to pit and change tyres.

The world champion would briefly lose the lead to Raikkonen in that time, as the Finn went further than any of the leading drivers despite starting on the less durable Ultrasoft.

Able to run the quicker Supersoft to the finish, he would catch and pass his teammate before doing the same to a slow Ricciardo to claim the final podium place.

Bottas would opt to pit for a second time for fresher tyres but a mistake at the rear meant it was a slow stop, allowing Vettel to also change tyres and serve his penalty while staying ahead of the Mercedes.

A late Virtual Safety Car, caused by a tyre failure for Lance Stroll, couldn't halt Hamilton though as the Briton took the checkered flag by seven seconds from Verstappen with Raikkonen a further 18 seconds back in third.

Ricciardo was fourth with Vettel managing the best he could in fifth.

Kevin Magnussen benefitted from a late engine issue for Sainz to inherit sixth, beating Bottas. The Renault driver would still achieve eighth ahead of teammate Nico Hulkenberg in ninth as Charles Leclerc completed the top 10 for Sauber.

No French driver would score a point with Romain Grosjean in 11th, ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne in 12th for McLaren.

His teammate Fernando Alonso had a strange afternoon, complaining over the radio and would pit late on simply to attempt the fastest lap, which was to no avail, finishing last of the classified finishers in 16th.

The fourth retiree, after Ocon, Gasly and Stroll, would be Sergio Perez as the Mexican was forced to pit with an engine issue.

Back at the front though, it was all smiles for Hamilton as he regained the championship lead by 14 points from Vettel with the action coming fast and furious as teams head straight to Spielberg for the Austrian Grand Prix in a week's time.