“Freaking hell! This was incredibly difficult” – Charles Leclerc on Ferrari team radio after missing out of the Top 10 in the French Grand Prix.
Ferrari lost their third-place to McLaren in the Constructors Standings after both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz missed out of the Top 10 in the French Grand Prix.
Despite both drivers qualifying in the Top 10 for Sunday, a lack of compatibility with the tyre pressure rued the team’s chances, with Leclerc letting his feelings known on the Ferrari team radio. he complained of a lack of grip on both the medium and hard tyres.
“Freaking hell. This was incredibly difficult. I thought the pace was coming back a little bit with the hard tyres but with the mediums, oh my god…”
Leclerc eventually finished a disappointing P16, while his teammate just missed out on the points with a P11 finish. Arch-rivals McLaren meanwhile had a brilliant outing, with both Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo finishing behind only the Red Bulls and Mercedes, in P5 and P6 respectively. This has given them an impressive 16 points lead over Ferrari now.
Max Verstappen wins French GP
Elsewhere, Max Verstappen won a race that saw a nail-biting last few laps as he sought to overtake race leader Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull made Verstappen do a second pitstop which helped him to close on and overtake the reigning champion with two laps to go, amid loud cheers in the Paul Ricard grandstands.
Red Bull extended their lead over Mercedes in the overall standings after Sergio Perez successfully overtook Valtteri Bottas to finish on the podium. A 37 points lead for the Milton Keynes-based outfit represents a fine season so far for the energy drinks brand, with 4 wins compared to Mercedes’ 3.
