3 F1 drivers desperate for a strong 2022 French GP 

The 2022 F1 season is at a very critical stage right now. This weekend's F1 French GP will start the second half of the season with only two races remaining until the summer break. If a driver needs to show his team that he is the right man for the job or to put a final stamp on his performance, then this is the race to do it.

There are also those, however, who have had a strong start to the season but in the last few races have seen their momentum take a dip. With the summer break on the horizon, these drivers will be desperate to get the momentum back on their side and go into the summer break on a high. In this feature for the 2022 F1 French GP, let's take a look at the top 3 drivers who will be desperate to turn things around in the championship and score a strong result this weekend.

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#3 Esteban Ocon (Alpine F1)

On the surface, one should question the logic of putting a driver that has almost double the points of his teammate the mighty Fernando Alonso on this list, but there's more to it. While the points tally might indicate that Esteban Ocon is having a great time at Alpine this season, it's hard to argue that Alonso has been the standout driver. You'd have to go back to the F1 Spanish GP this season as the last race where Ocon was the out-and-out faster driver at Alpine.

Since then, while Fernando Alonso has either stumbled himself or has had Alpine mess up in terms of reliability, it's not been Esteban Ocon beating the Spaniard fair and square. The 2022 F1 French GP is Ocon's home race, and if there is any race that the French driver needs to beat his teammate in, it is this one. Ocon will be desperate to set things right, and this time around, be the faster Alpine driver over the weekend.

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#2 George Russell (Mercedes)

George Russell's start to the season was splendid. While his teammate, the great Lewis Hamilton, struggled to put together a weekend, Russell was the driver who scored the all-important results every time. At one stage, he had accrued a seven-race win streak over his veteran teammate, the worst of the latter's career.

The momentum, however, swung at the 2022 F1 Canadian GP. Russell opted to gamble on slicks on a drying track and as a result, lost out on a podium that could have been his as Hamilton made the most of a higher grid position. Since then, what has followed is Russell causing a red flag-inducing shunt at Silverstone followed by another penalty in Austria.

Russell has now lost to Hamilton for three races in a row and the healthy points lead that he enjoyed over his teammate has shrunk significantly. The young Brit might need to pull something out of the bag here because once drivers of Hamilton's caliber get on a roll, they're hard to beat. Russell will be hoping to turn the tide at Mercedes and get back some of the shine he's lost in a very impressive first season with the team.

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#1 Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)

Could there be a bigger name than Daniel Ricciardo that is under pressure to perform this weekend? The Australian is under immense need to prove to McLaren that he is the right choice for the team. Especially considering the number of names that have been associated with that seat.

It all started with names like Colton Herta, Pato O'Ward, and Pierre Gasly. Now there are names like Sebastian Vettel, Oscar Piastri, and the latest addition to McLaren, Alex Palou, who are rumored to be in contention for that seat. It's fair to say that Ricciardo has not fared well at McLaren. The driver has just not clicked and has always been a step behind his teammate Lando Norris when it comes to performance.

After 18 months of below-par performances, it looks like McLaren's patience is wearing thin. With just two races left before everyone in the sport heads for the summer break, it's fair to say that Daniel Ricciardo will be desperate to put things right and win back the trust of the team.