Max Verstappen got the lead over Leclerc at the French Grand Prix, and then took a comfortable win for Red Bull Racing to extend his lead. Charles Leclerc‘s dreadful run of unexpected misfortune in the latest round of the Grand Prix extended with an implosion at high-speed Ferrari. His anguished scream on the PA system affirmed the Frenchman’s frustrating day.
It is the third time this season that the 24-year-old driver Charles Leclerc has failed to finish a race having led. He has converted only two of his seven pole starts into wins, with the latest gifting Max Verstappen the opportunity to open up a 63-point lead in the driver’s championship. After checking in with his team about whether Leclerc was alright, Red Bull’s reigning world champion made no mistake to win his 27th career grand prix, and second in a row at the Circuit Paul Ricard.
“Charles will probably be all right,” Verstappen said. “I in the final skirmish, am glad that I was on doing well well in the race, but probably Charles was unfortunate this time around, and I only hope he is soon. When the leader of the race hits the curbs, sometimes you just have to go out until after the end of the race. That’s what we did.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell secured Mercedes’ first double podium of the season at Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix. After three straight third-place finishes, Hamilton went one better in his 300th race, while Russell overtook Red Bull’s Sergio Perez with two laps to go to cap another impressive showing.
More misery for Leclerc
Completing fourth from post at his home race in Monaco after a wayward refueling break methodology, a twofold DNF at Azerbaijan, fifth in Canada, and disappointments with group orders in Great Britain; Leclerc’s fortunes had seemed to be changing with a success in Austria recently.
A first triumph since April had looked set to push him back into title conflict, and the Ferrari driver began emphatically in France, moving away well and beginning to fabricate a lead from Verstappen consistently.
In any case, everything went awry for on lap 18 when Leclerc seemed to lose the back of his vehicle heading into the quick turn 11, turning into the wall. A security vehicle before long followed, however the 24-year-old rose up out of the vehicle unscatched.
“No!” he shouted in group radio, at first seeming to fault a choke issue that had nearly cost him the race in Austria, however he later let it out was his mistake.
“I’ve been saying I believe I’m performing at the most elevated level in my profession yet on the off chance that I continue to do these errors, there is no point in performing at an exceptionally undeniable level,” Leclerc told Sky Sports.
“Assuming we lose the title by 32 toward the finish of the time, I will know where they’re coming from and it’s unsatisfactory. I really want to get on top of those things.
“It’s been an undeniably challenging end of the week for me. I battled a great deal with the equilibrium of the vehicle … at the point when this is how things have been it’s truly challenging to be reliable.”
Mercedes euphoria
A sublime recuperation drive from colleague Carlos Sainz – – beginning from the rear of the network following a power unit punishment – – gave a reassurance to Ferrari, at this point even his fourth spot finish was not without episode for the group.
The Spaniard had been examining a potential refueling break over group radio before a strained fight with Perez. Pushing to surpass the Mexican, Sainz was wheel to wheel with his opponent when his pit path team ringed in over the radio to prompt on the refueling break procedure.
“Not, not presently,” Sainz yelled over group radio, later adding, “Come on folks.”
Perez was subsequently associated with one more exciting fight with Russell, falling behind the Englishman with only two laps staying in the wake of responding gradually to the furthest limit of a virtual security vehicle.
Russell got out ahead and held his lead to cover a fine day for Mercedes, as he moves to inside a place of Sainz in the driver’s title, with a blissful – – yet depleted – – Hamilton 16 focuses behind.
“It was an intense race in light of the fact that my beverages bottle didn’t work yet what an extraordinary outcome considering we’ve been such a long ways off these folks the entire end of the week,” Hamilton said.
“Unwavering quality is one thing my group is astounding at so immense congrats to the group back at the manufacturing plants and the group here, without them we wouldn’t get this platform. George worked effectively too.”
