World champion Max Verstappen grabs the title taking full advantage as Charles Leclerc crashes out of the lead on lap 18 in the 2022 French Grand Prix Sunday.
The 24-year-old Dutchman secures his seventh win this season and the 27th of his career. He leads by 63 points against Leclerc in the drivers’ standings with 10 races remaining.
It was a scorching afternoon at Circuit Paul Ricard. “We had good pace, but it was hard to follow here with the tires overheating so we stayed calm. You never know how it is going to go. It was unlucky for Charles and I’m glad he is ok.” Verstappen told about Leclerc’s accident.
Meanwhile, Mercedes man Lewis Hamilton finished in second place, followed by his fellow teammate George Russell in third. Their team secured the first double podium of a tough season.
As Verstappen was never a realistic target for him after Leclerc’s crash, Hamilton expressed his self-satisfaction with his performance and called it an “incredible” result for the team. Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, stood forth. Sainz finished fifth after a five-second penalty for the violation of law as he hampered his sprint up from 19th on the grid.
The French Grand Prix this year was the 12th race of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
