Max Verstappen has won the French Grand Prix, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc all but threw away any hope of catching him in the championship battle.
Leclerc started from pole position and after surviving an early onslaught from Verstappen, appeared on track for a vital victory.
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But disaster struck before the halfway mark of the race when he lost control of his car, spinning off the track and into the wall.
It’s the third time this season Leclerc has crashed out while leading the race and he immediately realised the impact his latest DNF would have on his championship chances.
After crashing out, the Monegasque driver was heard breathing heavily over team radio, before he let out an almighty scream of frustration.
Sky Sports commentator Paul di Resta said: “That scream kind of noise is going to haunt a lot of people for a long time, especially at this point of the championship race.”
Verstappen took the lead and cruised to victory, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell drove superbly to secure Mercedes’ first double podium of the season.
Leclerc initially said his throttle pedal failed, but he later took responsibility for the crash and said it was a “mistake”.
“I think I am performing at my highest level in my career, but if I keep doing those mistakes then it’s pointless to perform at a very high level. I’m losing too many points,” he said.
“If we lose the championship by 32 points at the end of the season I will know where they are coming from,” he added, referring also to his crash at Imola.
“It’s unacceptable. I just need to get on top of those things.”
Asked about his guttural roar of frustration, Leclerc said: “I would have preferred to keep my frustrations to myself. I didn’t know the radio was on.”
It was a race to forget for Ferrari, who made the baffling call to pit Carlos Sainz a second time late in the race, virtually robbing him of a podium finish.
Daniel Ricciardo drove a competitive race and finished in ninth, the same position he started in.
French Grand Prix results (top 10)
1 Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
3) George Russell, Mercedes
4) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
5) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
6) Fernando Alonso, Alpine
7) Lando Norris, McLaren
8) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
9) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
10) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
Originally published as Verstappen wins French Grand Prix, Leclerc haunts F1 with ‘visceral’ scream
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