Ferrari's Charles Leclerc suffers heartbreak as Max Verstappen claims French Grand Prix victory
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Updated 24/07/2022 at 14:41 GMT
Charles Leclerc looked to be in control at the French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard on Sunday afternoon, but on lap 18 he spun out and collided with a barrier. That allowed Max Verstappen through for a routine victory, while Lewis Hamilton took second place for Mercedes, and Sergio Perez finished in third.
Charles Leclerc
Image credit: Getty Images
There was heartbreak for Charles Leclerc as he crashed out from pole position as Max Verstappen won the French Grand Prix on Sunday.
Verstappen failed to overtake Leclerc at the open with the Monegasque rider looking in good position to cut into the 38-point gap between him and the Dutch world champion.
Meanwhile further back the grid, Mercedes’ driver Lewis Hamilton swept past Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s teammate, and kept in touch with the front pair.
There was a huge moment of drama, and disappointment for Ferrari, on lap 18 when Leclerc appeared to spin out before hitting the barrier, leading him to scream in frustration at his team as he blamed his throttle. Later he admitted he made a 'mistake' and said he needed to 'get on top of those things' as he worried the repeated mistakes may cost him the title.
It was the third time this season that Leclerc had failed to finish a race after leading, and came after the Austrian Grand Prix saw his teammate Carlos Sainz - starting from the back of the grid - leaping from his burning vehicle.
While Leclerc was frustrated, Sainz continued to press through the pack and after 34 laps he was well set in fourth.
After Leclerc’s exit, Verstappen was on hand to take the lead and extended his lead over Hamilton to more than six seconds.
With around 15 laps to go, Verstappen followed Hamilton as the pair complained about tyre degradation on a Paul Ricard circuit which was tough on cars that ran wide onto abrasive surfaces
On 42 laps, Sainz made his move on Perez just as he was being told to come in by his team, leading to confusion and a little irritation from the Spaniard. Moments later, Russell and Perez came together as the Briton attempted to dart down the inside, inches from making contact.
Nine laps later Russell burst through after the end of a virtual safety car to take Perez by surprise and move into third place.
Sainz, perplexed by his team orders to come in was able to regain some of the lost places as he finished in fifth.
France side Alpine were able to enjoy some success in their home country as Fernando Alonso claimed sixth. Lando Norris, Esteban Ocon, Daniel Ricciardo and Lance Stroll rounded out the top 10.
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