Ferrari again fail to convert potential into points as Leclerc’s mistake gifts Verstappen victory in France

Leclerc’s clumsy error handed Verstappen the win in France while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell also benefited to finish on the podium

Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 Correspondent
Sunday 24 July 2022 18:06 BST
Comments
Formula 1 All Time Rivalry. - Hamilton vs Verstappen

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Charles Leclerc did not need telling. Having held off Max Verstappen’s early onslaught superbly in a stiflingly hot French Grand Prix, the Monegasque’s perfect weekend in the south of France came crashing down. Quite literally.

Pushing unnecessarily hard in a Ferrari which, despite its raw pace, has proved a handful this season, the Championship contender lost the rear and spun off the track and out of the race at the Beausset right-hander. A lap-19 gift for Verstappen, who then cruised to a seventh victory of the season at Circuit Paul Ricard and extends his title lead to a whopping 63 points.

Screaming “Nooooo” in the cockpit of his stricken Ferrari, 24-year-old Leclerc made no excuses in the pen afterwards: “I feel like I am performing at the highest level of my career, but there is no point in performing at a high level if I make those mistakes.

“I lost 25 points here as it was likely I was going to win, and seven in Imola because of my mistake. So at the end of the year if there are 32 points missing then I know it has come from me, and I did not deserve to win the championship. I know I need to get on top of things if I want to be a world champion.”

Speaking of world champions, Leclerc’s clumsiness opened the door too for Lewis Hamilton – playing the role of ultimate opportunist in 2022 – to record his highest finish of the season on a weekend he became the sixth man to reach 300 Grands Prix.

In an upgraded Mercedes which is still short of Red Bull and Ferrari for pure speed but continues to secure points on race-day, the seven-time title winner came home comfortably in second with teammate George Russell third after catching Sergio Perez off-guard during a late virtual safety car period. Two Silver Arrows on the podium for the first time in 2022, a glimmer of light in a challenging year thus far.

“What a day, what a weekend, just so proud of the team,” Hamilton said, after his fourth podium in a row. "Getting results like this is about the whole package, we know we don’t have the pace but reliability is a fundamental part of the process. George did a great job and it’s really special for us.”

Max Verstappen won the race with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell also on the podium
Max Verstappen won the race with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell also on the podium (AFP via Getty Images)

While Perez had a day to forget having lost his No 3 spot first at the start of the race to Hamilton and then later on to Russell, it was a mixed day for the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, starting from P19 as a result of taking a new engine.

Storming through the field early on and capitalising on the safety car triggered by his teammate’s crash, the Spaniard was embroiled in a fiery exchange with his pit wall over whether to pit for new tyres while in battle with Perez for a podium finish. Sainz needed to serve a five-second penalty for an unsafe release in his first stop and, with one car already in the garage, Ferrari played it safe and pitted their man again for fresh rubber.

With the confusion playing out over the airwaves, Sainz – who finished in fifth and set the fastest lap – defended his team’s indecision valiantly afterwards. Yet in a season which now sees Red Bull pulling away in top spot and Ferrari looking over their shoulders to a rejuvenated Mercedes, the Prancing Horse needs to arrest a streak of errors both at the wheel and on the pit wall to convert their potential into points over the course of a season which is slipping through their fingers.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in