He was the race favorite but his “mistake“forced him to give up. In an unveiled video, we hear the F1 champion Charles Leclerc screaming in despair. Terrible images, after an accident which could have cost him dearly. Starting in pole position, Leclerc (Ferrari) retired from the Formula 1 French Grand Prix on lap 18 out of 53, while leading the raceafter a runway excursion finished in the safety barriers.
Leclerc, unscathed from his single-seater after this accident, let the leader of the world championship Max Verstappen (Red Bull) lead the race ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), specifies AFP. Before this 12th round of the season out of 22, Leclerc was 38 points behind Verstappen in the championship standings. Without his Scuderia rival, the 2021 world champion was heading for another victory, Hamilton being relegated to some 3 seconds on the 27th lap. Finally, Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) won the French Grand Prix ahead of the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, taking the lead in the F1 world championship.
Winner in Austria at the previous Grand Prix, the Monegasque was on track to do it again in southeastern France after dominating qualifying on Saturday. Starting very well on the starting line, he led the race under pressure from the Dutchman. But in the 18th loop of the Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet, Leclerc lost control of his Ferrari, spinning and ending up in the tires safety at low speed.
His cries of frustration after this exit from the track reassured about his state of health but also illustrated his disappointment and that of his many fans among the 70,000 spectators present on Sunday at Le Castellet.