Charles Leclerc took responsibility for the mistake that made him leave the French GP, held this Sunday (24), and admitted that it will be difficult to beat Max Verstappen in the fight for the 2022 title
Charles Leclerc was leading the French GP on Sunday (24), when he once again saw victory slip through his fingers. But what at first seemed to be another reliability problem for Ferrari was, in fact, a mistake. And it was the Monegasque himself who exempted the team and called the responsibility to himself.
The #16 had been driving at a solid pace, managing not only to fend off Max Verstappen's attack, but also to open a certain lead, suggesting that Ferrari's strategy of prioritizing tire care had been right. On lap 18, however, Leclerc lost the rear end of his F1-75 at turn 11 and ended up on the tire wall, saying goodbye to the race at Paul Ricard.
"I haven't seen the data yet, but it was a mistake," a dejected Leclerc admitted to reporters as soon as he abandoned. "I'll analyze it, but I'm sure it was a mistake, just. I always say I'm at the highest level of my career. If I keep making mistakes like this, there is no point in competing at a high level," he stressed.
"I'm losing a lot of points. We will do the math at the end, but if there are only 20 or 30 points left, I will know where I lost and it will be my fault. In Imbola and here... if I keep driving like this, I don't deserve to be champion," said the Monegasque.
In the Emilia-Romagna GP, Leclerc spun when he tried to get close to Sergio Pérez to fight for second place, but he pushed too hard and ended up spinning, missing the podium. Verstappen was the winner in Imola.
"Seven [points] in Imole, 25 here, because we were probably the strongest cars on the track, so if we lose the championship by 32 points, I'll know where it went. It's unacceptable, I just need to get things under control," added Leclerc, who was asked by reporters if he was calmer and was blunt: "No."