Charles Leclerc dramatically crashed out of Sunday’s French Grand Prix while leading… heading into the wall at Turn 11, allowing title rival Max Verstappen to extend his World Championship lead to 63 POINTS.
- Charles Leclerc has retired while leading a race for the third time this season
- He spun into Turn 11 and yelled “I can’t go full throttle” over the radio
- Max Verstappen asked about his rival’s well-being and was told he was fine
- The Dutch driver extended his lead to 63 points by winning the race
By Michael Rudling for Mailonline
Published: 14:40, 24 July 2022 | Updated: 15:59, July 24, 2022
Charles Leclerc crashed out of Sunday’s French Grand Prix while leading, allowing Max Verstappen to win and extend his World Championship lead to 63 points.
The Ferrari driver crashed into the wall at turn 11 – the fastest corner at the Paul Ricard circuit – and brought out the safety car.
Leclerc quickly got out of his car as his rivals quickly made their way to the pit lane for a pit stop, with Verstappen making the most of it.
Charles Leclerc dramatically crashed out of the French Grand Prix on Sunday while leading
Ferrari mechanics react after seeing Leclerc crash into the track wall on Sunday
This crash is the third time this season that the 24-year-old has retired while leading a race.
He let out an angry yell at his team after spinning into the wall and yelled, “I can’t go full speed!”
His World title rival Max Verstappen asked: “Is he OK?” over the radio, and they said “yes, they tell me it’s fine”.
Nico Rosberg, on Sky’s commentary service from Ibiza – the unvaccinated 2016 world champion is not allowed in the paddock due to Covid rules – said Leclerc’s Ferrari was at fault.
“It would be so unusual for a world-class driver to lose his car there,” he said. “I really think there was something wrong with that Ferrari.”
But speaking after the crash, Leclerc admitted it was driver error. He said: “I’m performing at the highest level of my career, but if I’m stuck with the mistakes, it’s pointless.
“If we lose the championship by 32 points I will know where they are coming from, but it is unacceptable.
“I go through the same process all the time and try to analyze. It’s a mistake and that’s it. He’s trying to push too hard and I’ve lost my rear end.
“It has been a very difficult weekend for me, I have struggled with the balance of the car. I made a mistake at the wrong time.
The crash gave Max Verstappen a potentially vital lead in the Drivers’ Championship
It is the third time Leclerc has been forced to retire while leading a Grand Prix this season
Verstappen made the most of Leclerc’s mistake to extend his lead at the top of the standings
The crash allowed Max Verstappen to win in France, taking his Drivers’ Championship points tally to 63.
Lewis Hamilton finished second for the first time this season, with George Russell in third after holding off Sergio Perez.
After his seventh victory in the title defence, Verstappen said: “We had very good pace from the start. I put pressure on Charles but the tires overheated and I couldn’t move.
“We tried to stay calm, close and we faced off before. From there, you never know how it’s going to go. It’s bad luck for Charles and I hope he’s OK.”
Hamilton added: “It was a tough race. But what a great result considering how far behind we were. Reliability is one of the things my team has been amazing at. George also did an amazing job.
“It will be difficult to beat the Red Bulls and Ferrari in Budapest, but hopefully we will take a step forward and be even closer.”