Charles Leclerc has retired from the lead at a grand prix for the third time this season as Max Verstappen made a giant leap to defend his Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.
Key points:
- Charles Leclerc crashed into the wall after making a mistake on lap 18
- The Ferrari driver said he believed he had the best car during the race
- Daniel Ricciardo scored back-to-back points and finished ninth
The Dutchman made the most of the Ferrari nightmare to win the French Grand Prix, with the twin Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in second and third.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo scored points for the second straight race, finishing ninth.
Leclerc was driving a brilliant race at the front, weathering Verstappen’s early storm to maintain a good lead.
But the Monegasque driver made a serious mistake on lap 18 in the long, wide right-hand corner of turn 11 and spun into the wall.
Verstappen won the race at a gallop and extended his lead in the drivers’ championship, while a visibly distraught Leclerc was left wondering what could have been.
“I think I’m performing at my highest level in my career, but if I keep making these mistakes, it’s meaningless,” he said.
“I’m losing too many points.
“We were probably the strongest car on the track today.
“It’s unacceptable and I just need to be on top of these things.”
Ferrari mechanics were left devastated after another potential victory slipped away. (Pool via AP: Eric Gaillard)
Verstappen’s victory is the 27th of his career and extended his lead over Leclerc in the championship by more than 60 points.
The Dutchman said overtaking was difficult in the hot conditions, which made it difficult to overtake Leclerc in the early stages of the race.
“I think we had a good pace from the start, I was putting pressure on Charles,” said Verstappen.
“But going around in this heat, the tires get really hot.
“I could never go make a move.”
After Leclerc’s lap 18 crash, the championship leader said tire management was his only focus.
Ricciardo’s ‘good weekend’ ends with points
Ricciardo had two ninth place finishes in as many races, driving a solid race in France.
The Australian started the race from ninth and flirted with the top seven at various points in the race.
But the McLaren couldn’t match the pace on the straights with the cars around it.
It is only the fourth time Ricciardo has finished in the top 10 this season.
The points finish followed a promising qualifying session the day before where Ricciardo was much closer to teammate Lando Norris.
Former world champion Nico Rosberg told Sky Sports F1 that Ricciardo’s weekend was promising as the Australian battles poor form and speculation over his future.
“It’s a good weekend for Daniel,” he said.
“He’s well on his way to finding his way again.”