‘I feel sorry for him’: Max Verstappen sends his sympathy to heartbroken Charles Leclerc after the Ferrari driver crashed out of the French Grand Prix and allowed the Red Bull world champion to cruise to victory.
- Charles Leclerc crashed on lap 18 with the two set to battle
- The Ferrari driver was furious with himself for making another mistake
- Max Verstappen now has a 63-point lead in the world championship standings
By Julian Bovill for Mailonline
Published: 19:12, 24 July 2022 | Updated: 22:05, July 24, 2022
Max Verstappen has extended his sympathies to championship rival Charles Leclerc after the Ferrari driver crashed out of the French Grand Prix.
Leclerc was well placed in the race as he looked to close the gap on the Red Bull driver at the top of the drivers’ championship, but he made a mistake on lap 18 and crashed, allowing the Dutchman to take victory .
The Ferrari driver had qualified on pole and held off the world champion for the opening laps, but when he crashed on circuit number 18 he let out a cry of pain over the team radio and admitted after the career that had made an “unacceptable mistake”. ‘.
Charles Leclerc crashed during Sunday’s French Grand Prix and was clearly furious afterwards
Speaking to Sky Sports after his victory at the Circuit Paul Ricard, Verstappen said: “It would have been a very good battle until the end, unfortunately we never got to that, but luckily Charles is fine.”
Verstappen was asked if his greater experience, having won a world championship, was proving decisive in his battle with Leclerc. The Ferrari driver has now made two mistakes which have resulted in the loss of points.
He replied: “It’s hard to say.
Max Verstappen showed his condolences to the Ferrari driver after winning the race in France
‘Mistakes are easily made. So, I don’t know. I feel sorry for him, of course. It’s not nice and he knows it.
“We still have a lot of racing to do and there will be tough weekends for us as well.”
Leclerc, after the race, was puzzled with himself, saying that he is losing too many points.
“A mistake, my mistake,” Leclerc said. “I think I’m performing at the highest level of my career, but if I keep making these mistakes, there’s no point in performing at a very high level.
The Ferrari driver hit the wall at turn 11 and his car had to be taken off the track
‘I’m losing too many points. I think seven in Imola, 25 here. Honestly, we were probably the strongest car on the track today, so if we lose the championship by 32 points at the end of the season, I’ll know where they’re coming from.
‘It is unacceptable. I just need to get on top of these things.
Verstappen leads Leclerc in the drivers’ standings with Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who finished fourth behind Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
There are 10 races to go, and Verstappen has won seven of the last 12.
Leclerc’s Ferrari team could not believe that the French driver had crashed again from a race