Charles Leclerc has accepted that he was to blame for crashing his Ferrari during the French Grand Prix, giving Max Verstappen the chance to extend his lead at the top of the Championship.
After claiming pole on Saturday, Leclerc was able to establish a lead over his title rival as the race approached the halfway mark.
However, Leclerc put his Ferrari into the gravel and tyre wall at the quickest point on the track, Leclerc later admitting that he had 'pushed too hard'.
In response, Verstappen was able to cruise to yet another win in 2022, comfortably remaining ahead of Lewis Hamilton who eventually finished 10.6 seconds behind the Dutchman.
Mercedes teammate George Russell was able to claim the final spot on the podium after overtaking Red Bull driver Sergio Perez during the final stages.
Leclerc crashes into the barriers!!! He is OUT 😲 pic.twitter.com/kZUr4IZgQQ
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 24, 2022
While the final laps were taking place, Leclerc gave an interview to Sky Sports, acknowledging that it was an error on his part which prevented him from trying to make up further ground on Verstappen in the title race.
Leclerc said: "Mistake. I am performing at the highest level of my career but if I keep the mistakes then it is pointless. If we lose the championship by 32 points I will know where they are coming from but it is unacceptable.
"I go through the same process all the time and try to analyse. It is a mistake and that is it. It is trying to push too much and I lost the rear. It has been a very difficult weekend for me, I struggled with the balance of the car. I did a mistake at the wrong moment."
Verstappen, who won for the seventh time this year, is now 63 points clear of Leclerc, who only sits seven points ahead of third-placed Perez.
Carlos Sainz Jnr, who came from the back of the grid to finish in fifth position on Sunday, is one point ahead of Russell in fourth spot, with Hamilton still in sixth despite his obvious improvements in recent races.
With regards to the minor places at Circuit Paul Ricard, Fernando Alonso was sixth in the Alpine, with Lando Norris, Esteban Ocon, Daniel Riccardo and Lance Stroll completing the top 10.
Darren Plant
