“He’s alright, thanks for asking”- Max Verstappen checks on Charles Leclerc after latter gives $150,000 loss to Ferrari

Charles Leclerc spun out and crashed while leading the French GP, handing Max Verstappen a massive advantage in the Title fight. 

Leclerc’s hard luck this campaign continues after a brief moment of glory in Spielberg. He won the Austrian GP two weeks ago, and was looking forward to building on that at Circuit Paul Ricard on Sunday.

He started the race brilliantly, and built a decent gap to Verstappen. After the Red Bull driver pitted, Leclerc’s looked even more comfortable as it seemed like Ferrari were going for a one-stop race for him. It all turned to agony soon however, after the Monegasque spun out and went into the barriers.

LAP 19/53

Absolute heartbreak for Leclerc and Ferrari 💔#FrenchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/qUmPlzWEVn

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 24, 2022

It wasn’t a particularly nasty crash, but it was enough for his outing to come to an end. Leclerc’s heartbreaking end to his French GP hands Verstappen a huge advantage in their fight for the World Title.

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Max Verstappen checks on Charles Leclerc as soon as he crashed

Leclerc was absolutely devastated after his crash. This is the third time he had to retire from a Grand Prix this year while on lead, and these may very well add up to hand Verstappen the Championship come the end of the year.

The Monegasque vented his frustration on the team radio. He let his team know that there was something wrong with his throttle. It was followed by a pause, after which he let out a loud scream.

VER: 📻 “He’s alright?”

“He’s alright Max, thanks for asking”#FrenchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/NW0gU6ueUt

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 24, 2022

Verstappen meanwhile, was concerned about his Title rival. As soon as the 24-year old driver crashed out, the Dutchman was on the team radio to ask his race engineer if he was alright. “He’s alright Max, thanks for asking,” was the reply.

Leclerc’s crash wasn’t the only down point for Ferrari. Carlos Sainz started the race P19, and climbed his way up to P10 when his teammate’s afternoon ended. A safety car was brought out, and Sainz lost out on valuable seconds due to a slow stop from the Ferrari.

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