Leclerc's mistake costs him crucial points at the French GP

-

 


Pain.... One word that can describe what Charles Leclerc feels after suffering another massive loss at the French Grand Prix, crashing out of the lead and handing Max Verstappen a 25-point race win.

Leclerc has been Max Verstappen's closest competition in 2022, but frequent mistakes and poor team strategies have cost him. 

Speaking to the media after the race, Leclerc stated, "I mean, I feel like I'm performing at the highest level of my career since the beginning of the season, but there is no point of performing at that very high level if I then make those mistakes."

Leclerc originally thought a mechanical issue with the car was the cause for the incident, but immediately took responsibility in post-race interviews.

"32 points overall, 25 today. I think it was likely that we were going to win this race because we were fast, and 7 in Imola because of my mistake. So if at the end of the year we count back and it's 32 points missing, then I know it's coming from me and I did not deserve to win the championship. For the second half of the season, I need to get on top of this if I want to be world champion," Leclerc knows what he needs to do, and needs to execute. 

The fight for the championship is not over, but with Verstappen's lead now at 63 points, Leclerc cannot afford another weekend of avoidable mistakes. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is up with the gorilla trophy at the French GP?

-
Image
  If you have ever watched the French Grand Prix, you have probably noticed the trophies are a bit different... and if you are new to Formula 1, the gorilla trophy will no doubt make you scratch your head. Even though the FIA has regulations in place stating that trophies must "be in the form of a cup", the French GP organizers decided this regulation will not apply to them. We have been blessed with one of the most interesting trophies on the calendar. The trophy has been designed in the shape of a gorilla by French artist and sculptor, Richard Orlinksi. Several of his sculptures can be found around the circuit as well. 'The bear' and 'the horse' made an appearance back in 2018 when F1 returned to the Paul Ricard circuit. To add to this, there is a massive gorilla that joins the podium finishers on the stage post-race. This is the gorilla that the trophies are smaller versions of.  When Pirelli sponsored the event, the gorilla trophies also held little tires,...
Read more

Sources: Oscar Piastri to replace Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren

-
Image
  Sources: McLaren has informed Daniel Ricciardo it plans to replace him with Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri next season. According to multiple reports, Ricciardo was informed of the decision by team boss Andreas Seidl following the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday evening. The two parties are now discussing a financial settlement to leave his contract a year early. ESPN has reported from information from multiple sources that McLaren and Piastri have signed a deal for next year. On Tuesday, Alpine surprisingly made an announcement that Piastri would replace Aston Martin-bound Fernando Alonso. Piastri tweeted an hour later stating he would not be racing for Alpine in 2023. Alpine's appeal to the FIA contract recognition board would be the only thing stopping Piastri joining McLaren. If McLaren's contract with Piastri is upheld, Ricciardo appears to be the frontrunner for the Alpine seat the fellow Australian did not want for the 2023 season. Ricciardo raced at Alpine when...
Read more

Max Verstappen wins the Hungarian Grand Prix despite spinning out

-
Image
  The reigning world champion wins the Hungarian Grand Prix from P10 to extend his championship lead to 80 points over Charles Leclerc. It was a Qualifying to forget for Max Verstappen and the rest of the Red Bull team, as he finished in P10 and teammate Sergio Perez finished P11, their worst combined start of the year. Both drivers received new power units following the poor qualifying results. Neither were required to serve grid penalties as they had not yet reached the maximum number of power units allotted per season.  Although damage control was the intent, Verstappen quickly drove through the field and found himself amongst the race leaders. Despite a spin mid-race after over taking Leclerc for P3, Verstappen overtook Leclerc once more due to a poor tire strategy from Ferrari. With 3 laps to go, Afla Romeo's Valtteri Bottas had a power unit failure causing a virtual safety car to take place. The race resumed with 1 lap remaining that forced drivers to use extra caut...
Read more