Lewis Hamilton led teammate Valtteri Bottas as Mercedes set the early pace at the French Grand Prix in Practice 1 on Friday.

Using a second set of the Ultrasoft tyre, the world champion posted a 1m32.231s with just under half an hour remaining to lead his Finnish partner by almost a tenth-and-half around the Circuit Paul Ricard.

Daniel Ricciardo set the initial pace on the first set of tyres but would finish almost 0.3s behind the Silver Arrows by the end of the session in his Red Bull.

Ferrari had another typically subdued start to the weekend with Kimi Raikkonen fourth and Sebastian Vettel fifth, with the German again limiting his running to complete set-up work.

Unsurprisingly at a circuit where experience is limited, there were a few errors as drivers pushed and sometimes went beyond the limits. the most common was through Turn 6 as a change in wind direction caused several drivers to spin in the run-off area.

The biggest crash was for Marcus Ericsson, however, as the rear of his Sauber stepped out on the high-speed entry to Turn 12, sending the Swede into the tyre barrier side-on with a fire erupting in the engine bay shortly after.

Though his car his unlikely to be usable again in the afternoon due to the fire damage, some concern will also be given to Ericsson himself after a big impact likely left him pretty shaken.

Another problem many faced was with slow-moving cars on the wrong parts of the track with Raikkonen and Hamilton involved in near-misses on the Mistral Straight. Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen also narrowly avoided contact at Turn 4.

The French contingent of drivers, perhaps unexpectedly, were keen to get on with practice and featured well up the standings.

Romain Grosjean was the first in sixth for Haas, ahead of the second Red Bull of Max Verstappen. Pierre Gasly was also in the top 10 in P8 for Toro Rosso, though Esteban Ocon would be a little further back in 12th.

Charles Leclerc survived the rear of his Sauber snapping on the approach to the chicane on the Mistral, as the Monegasque took the escape road. He would still be a pretty competitive 13th fastest though.

Renault had a pretty disappointing start to their home race weekend with Carlos Sainz 11th and Nico Hulkenberg 18th. Their problems perhaps weren't as bad as McLaren though, with Fernando Alonso 16th and Stoffel Vandoorne 19th.

The full standings from Practice 1 can be seen below:

Daniel Ricciardo has been the target of multiple approaches from McLaren, who are willing to pay big money for the Australian in 2019, according to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.

With the news this week that the Milton Keynes outfit will race with Honda engines next season, many are wondering how that announcement will impact the 28-year-old's thinking about his future, with his contract expiring at the end of the season.

Some reports in Australia have claimed Ricciardo is now more eager to look elsewhere following the news, and now Marko, who is notorious for his bold claims, is looking to up the ante.

“Our Daniel Ricciardo is the king of the market. McLaren offers him more every week,” he told Germany's Sport Bild.

One figure put on the British team's valuation of the seven-time race winner is $20m a year but given McLaren's current lack of competitiveness in the midfield, if true, it is unlikely money won't be enough to tempt him.

What Marko's claim also does is place further speculation over the future of Fernando Alonso, with the Spaniard linked to IndyCar next year after securing the second leg of the Triple Crown at Le Mans last weekend.

Also Read:

• Brundle: Ferrari must replace Raikkonen to win F1 titles
• Red Bull chiefs warn Ricciardo against possible 2019 move

Interestingly, F1 journalist Will Buxton sees this as nothing more than a ploy on Red Bull's part to try and call out Mercedes and Ferrari over the seriousness of their interest in Ricciardo.

And Marko admits there is another seat that remains unfilled for 2019 which the 'Honey Badger' is watching closely.

“Ricciardo doesn’t want to sign until [Lewis] Hamilton has signed,” he claimed. “It’s a bit strange. Hopefully it ends soon.”

Max Verstappen insists he has no concerns about the performance of Honda, following Red Bull's decision to switch engine supplier in 2019.

The Dutchman is signed up to the Milton Keynes outfit until the end of 2020, after signing an extension last year, therefore, will feel the fallout of what some would consider the risky call to team up with the Japanese manufacturer that struggled so badly with McLaren the past three years.

However, having seen junior team Toro Rosso enjoy a largely trouble-free year having taken on Honda and indeed match the British team that dumped them at several races, Verstappen is confident those dark days are well behind them.

“Looking at the performance they showed this year and the improvements they made – especially in Canada again – it looked very positive," he told reporters ahead of the French GP.

“They keep improving and putting people in the right places. I believe in the decision and the team clearly believes in it because they signed the deal."

The 20-year-old also sees believes it will benefit both Red Bull teams that they are the sole customers of Honda.

"It’s exciting as well when you have Honda working for Red Bull and Toro Rosso only, and it’s purely designed around your car. I think that also is very good,” he added.

Also Read:

• Abiteboul suggests Red Bull knew Renault engine deal in 2019 was always unlikely
• Honda's Montreal upgrades made 2019 engine deal "pretty clear cut" - Horner

Motorsport boss Masashi Yamamoto is keen to stress too that the relationship between Honda and both teams will remain equal.

“We’ll supply the same specification PU to both Red Bull and Toro Rosso,” he said.

“From a manufacturer’s point of view, it doesn’t make sense to identify either team as either works or customer as current regulations oblige us to supply the same power unit to all our teams.

"We appreciate them showing us such an attitude even after seeing our difficult time over the previous three years in F1," he added.

“We feel that we will have to live up to their high expectations, but can see their respect for us, and we will put everything we have into the development for next season.”

Lewis Hamilton claims his desire to add a fifth Formula 1 crown to his collection remains the greatest it has "ever been", despite his interests elsewhere.

The Mercedes driver sits a single point behind Sebastian Vettel at the third-way point in the 2018 season, having lost the championship lead following a disappointing fifth place at one of his most successful races in Canada two weeks ago.

What is also fuelling speculation about his motivations is he is still yet to sign a new contract with the German manufacturer for 2019 onwards, though reports last week suggested it could be announced this weekend in France.

Regardless, Hamilton maintains competing in F1 remains his top priority.

“There are a lot of different things that motivate me. My desire to win this championship is greater than it’s ever been,” he was quoted by PlanetF1.

“I do all of these different things in my life and I have all of these other interests, but none of this would be possible without racing. At the core of me is racing, above everything else.

“So much time, dedication and sacrifice has gone into getting where I am today and I love what I do; I love the competition and the challenge.”

Also Read:

• Hamilton: Liberty face a "big job" to bring F1 out of the "Stone Age"
• Ricciardo waiting for Hamilton before considering new Red Bull deal - Marko

Currently, however, all that is keeping some level of interest in this season is the tight championship battle with the last three races failing to provide a huge amount of spectacle.

Hamilton has also been a little critical of F1 returning to Paul Ricard for the French GP, claiming the last venue at Magny-Cours would be better, still, he hopes the circuit at Le Castellet can prove him wrong.

“I really don’t know what it [Paul Ricard] is going to provide,” he admitted.

“Is it going to be a boring race like [Montreal] or an exciting one? Is it going to be one like Baku? I really couldn’t tell you, absolutely no idea.

“I hope for France it’s a great one, I really do. I’ve not watched these races so I don’t know what you guys feel.”

Reports in Italy are suggesting Ferrari is seriously considering replacing Kimi Raikkonen with Charles Leclerc for the 2019 Formula 1 season.

The Monegasque has enjoyed a strong run of results recently, following a steady initial start to his career at Sauber, making Q2 in his last four races and converting three of those into points results on the Sunday.

He arrived on the grid already as one of the hottest prospects after a rapid rise through GP3 and F2, dominating the latter last season with Prema and has always been expected to be a future Ferrari driver as he is currently their leading academy member.

Historically, the Scuderia has been cautious to promote their young talent, with Felipe Massa the last to make the jump from Sauber back in 2006, but such is Leclerc's promise even at this early stage Maranello bosses are keen to take the risk.

The 20-year-old himself has always played down the prospect of a rapid rise to the Italian team, telling Autosport in Canada: "It only makes me smile, but on the other hand it doesn't feel realistic for now.

"When it will be time to think about next year I will think about it, and hopefully we have an opportunity to take that seat."

Also Read:

• Brundle: Ferrari must replace Raikkonen to win F1 titles
• Leclerc still finding his feet after bigger than expected F1 step

The result of his arrival would be Raikkonen likely calling time on his F1 career, with results failing to match the pace he has shown on occasions this season and some questioning if he is doing enough even in a number two role to Sebastian Vettel.

With just a single pole and no victories to his name since returning to the team in 2014, many do believe the Finn has passed his peak at 38 years old.

Motorsport.it also suggests Ferrari have opted against signing Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo because of the huge salary cost they would incur for taking on the Australian alongside the four-time world champion, a figure they believe would be around 50 million Euros.

This follows the claims of Helmut Marko that McLaren is offering big money to Ricciardo, who is out of contract at the end of this year.

Renault Sport managing director Cyril Abiteboul has suggested Red Bull were always likely to need a new engine supplier next season after announcing they will switch to Honda for 2019.

On Tuesday it was confirmed the 12-year partnership, which has seen the Milton Keynes outfit rise to win four titles but falter since the hybrid era began in 2014, would end as they join junior team Toro Rosso in taking on the Japanese supplier.

For Renault, it was quite a kick in the teeth ahead of their first home race in 10 years at Paul Ricard this weekend, particularly for a company which McLaren dumped in favour of Renault just nine months ago.

“We will do everything we can to make them regret this decision,” Abiteboul said to Motorsport.com.

“What I mean by that is simply doing the best we can on track with our own team under our own colours. I am really extremely excited by the performance improvement to come, in particular with Spec C which we will introduce later this season.

“At this point in time there is no reason to think that Red Bull will not be receiving it, although we are yet to confirm details of engine allocation plan, but I hope that we will make them regret.”

Also Read:

• Honda's Montreal upgrades made 2019 engine deal "pretty clear cut" - Horner

What Abiteboul would suggest, however, was that the Enstone-based team, with their engine base in Viry, knew Red Bull would ultimately split following the decision to work with McLaren last year.

“Not surprised whatsoever, frankly,” he said about the decision.

“Last year in Singapore we announced a comprehensive set of agreements with both the Red Bull group and McLaren.

“This was featuring a termination of Toro Rosso at the end of 2017 and termination of Red Bull at the end of 2018, even though Red Bull had requested to be a bit more vague about that topic.

“It went in a different direction when Red Bull requested to us an offer, as there was a bit of indecision about which way to go.

“For us, it is more a confirmation of what was in the air, and which is also a strategic and commercial decision more than purely a technical or sporting decision from Red Bull.”

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has also indicated the switch to Honda may have been a little more out of necessity than the team might want to say.

"Renault set an ultimatum that ended on Sunday. We had no choice," said the Austrian.

Mercedes have yet to decide if the engine upgrade, scheduled to be used in Canada, will be introduced at this weekend's French Grand Prix.

A "quality issue", reportedly linked to the crankshaft, was blamed for the decision not to take the second unit of the season to Montreal, something that many think cost Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton against Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel.

It was anticipated that it would be fixed and ready to go in Paul Ricard but on Thursday, the world champion admits he still doesn't know what will happen though does expect to have a fresh engine regardless.

"I think I might have one of my new engines out of my three, which is good enough," he told Autosport. "The engine that we've used for the first seven races has been a great engine.

"A fresher, newer version of that (Spec 1) is going to be great, and have more power than the [high mileage] one I raced in the last race, obviously. So I personally am not concerned."

It is possible Mercedes could use the first engine in practice on Friday in France to allow an extra day of testing back at the engine factory in Brixworth before a decision is taken.

Also Read:

• Hamilton: Winning a fifth F1 title still my "greatest" desire
• Bottas: Montreal defeat proof Mercedes no longer favourites at every race

Whatever happens, Bottas is confident Mercedes will make the right call.

"Any gain we can get - including a new engine - will be very important if we want to win the title," he claimed. "We all hope we can get the new one. At the moment that is our plan but we just need to confirm.

"I trust that things are being improved since two weeks ago with the new engine. If we decide to run it, for sure we are confident to run it 100%."

The implications of the decision are huge, as a new engine would have to complete seven races regardless of whether it is the old or new specification. The third and final engine is expected to be introduced sometime around the Italian GP in September.

Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo has criticised his successor Sergio Marchionne, claiming he is "jealous" of the Scuderia's history.

The Italian was at the helm for four decades, overseeing championship successes ranging from Niki Lauda in the late 1970s to Michael Schumacher 'golden era' in the early 2000s.

A feeling that the fabled Italian team needed to modernise eventually led to his ousting in 2015 with Marchionne taking over, with victories returning to Maranello albeit still no championship since the Constructors' in 2008.

Instead, the Italian-Canadian's most noticeable contribution has been his threat to quit F1 after 2020, something Di Montezemolo appears firmly against despite his own prior similar claims.

“I’m sad to see that Marchionne is very jealous of the past,” he said, speaking at the opening of an exhibition showcasing Schumacher's career in Cologne.

“This is bad because to be jealous of the past means you have something strange in the mind. I’m very proud of what we did, Michael, Ross [Brawn], [Jean] Todt, so happy with what we did.

“Of course Ferrari is always here, and I hope now will again be in a condition to win, because Ferrari needs to win, and for Formula 1, Ferrari is very important."

Also Read:

• FIA president Todt confident Ferrari won't follow through on 2021 quit threat
• Ferrari chairman Marchionne more positive about 2021 F1 rules agreement

And Di Montezemolo still has confidence that Vettel, who was his last driver signing before departing, can achieve the goal he set out back in 2015, to follow his hero and become a champion with Ferrari.

“Michael has won many championships with us, Seb unfortunately not," he said ruefully. “I hope that he will soon start a new era, winning in a [run of] championships like Michael.

“To achieve the same results as Michael is not so easy [even] if he’s young and strong, a good driver, and this year finally with a very competitive car.

“I hope Seb will not have too much pressure on him. He’s strong, the car is good. Mercedes, until now, doesn’t seem to be so competitive.

“There are a lot of chances. Maybe this could be a good year.”

McLaren have issued a strong-worded statement in response to former team principal Martin Whitmarsh criticising the leadership at Woking and calling for change.

Last weekend, the former chief, who left the team in 2014, gave an interview with the Daily Mail, in which the article added that staff were prepared to "revolt" against CEO Zak Brown and racing director Eric Boullier after their underwhelming performance in Canada.

Both Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne floundered towards the back of the midfield in Montreal, with the Spaniard going on to retire from his 300th race with a mechanical issue, the second car failure in two events.

It continued what has been a disappointing year despite a respectable start, with frustration more about the inability to close the gap on the top three teams.

Still, in the statement read out on Sky Sports F1, McLaren rebuked their former boss and insisted the team was strong collectively.

“Martin worked for McLaren for many years, but has been outside the business for some time and is not part of our future,” it read.

“What he said was ill-judged and ill-informed in our view but he is entitled to his opinion.

Also Read:

• McLaren offering Ricciardo big money for 2019 move, says Red Bull's Marko
• Button admits he would have left F1 sooner if he could
• Alonso still sees hope for McLaren despite ongoing IndyCar rumours

"There are high expectations in the team and we won’t compromise those high expectations.

“Everyone at McLaren is working tremendously hard and is focused on the future, not the past.”

Recently, Whitmarsh was seen back in the McLaren garage as a guest, and has said that his "door is open" to a return should the team want him.

With two legs of motorsport's Triple Crown now on his resume, Fernando Alonso is teasing a return to the Indianapolis 500 "soon".

America's most famous race is the final hurdle the Spaniard has to jump if he wants to join Graham Hill as just the second racing driver to complete the trifecta, which also includes the Monaco GP and the Le Mans 24 Hours, which Alonso secured at the first attempt this past weekend.

His first trip to the 'Brickyard' in IndyCar ultimately ended in disappointment as engine failure struck after leading on several occasions, but the 36-year-old is more than ready for another attempt.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s true the Triple Crown is on,” Alonso told Motorsport.com. “We have two, let’s see if we can achieve the Indy 500 soon.”

Given his growing discontent with the current state of F1, as his McLaren team remain mired in the midfield, some believe the double world champion could make a full-time switch to IndyCar as soon as 2019, with the British team reportedly considering an entry.

Also Read:

• Alonso still sees hope for McLaren despite ongoing IndyCar rumours
• Carlos Sainz Sr. becomes latest name to hint at Alonso/F1 exit

During the weekend at Le Mans, another well-respected motorsport figure added his name to the list of those who see that as a possibility.

“Alonso has come and conquered Le Mans, along with his teammates, and not put one foot wrong as we’ve seen all through the race,” nine-time winner of the endurance race Tom Kristensen said.

“I think he also sees the chance to be world champion [in WEC], which means he will continue to drive until Le Mans next year – and I think he will do that.

“I would not predict that he stops in F1, but he’ll definitely be back at the Indy 500. Maybe he’ll do a full season.”