Max Verstappen picked up a strong win in the 2022 French Grand Prix to establish a lead in the Driver’s Championship standings. Mercedes had a good outing as well, with two drivers finishing on the podium.
Lewis Hamilton finished second in his 300th career race, while George Russel completed the podium in third place. However, the day could’ve ended very differently, especially in favour of Ferrari.
French Grand Prix 2022: Leclerc crashes as Verstappen leads title charge
Charles Leclerc started the race very positively, and was expected to win the race due to his early momentum. Verstappen battled with the Ferrari driver to secure top spot, and on lap 19, he crashed into the barriers.
Being unable to finish in yet another race, hopes of the Driver’s Championship returning to Ferrari are slowly slipping away. On the other hand, Red Bull racing are making headway towards a second title in as many years.
Total heartbreak for Charles Leclerc 💔#FrenchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/boNWYn8vlY
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 24, 2022
Carlos Sainz made a push for the podium, battling his Red Bull teammate, Verstappen for the top spot. He overtook Sergio Perez on Lap 42, but was ordered to pit by his team. Afterwards, George Russel was able to take advantage of Perez losing focus and was able to achieve a podium finish.
Following the 2022 French Grand Prix, Max Verstappen has a 63 point lead over Leclerc. Perez is in third, only seven points behind Leclerc while Sainz is in fourth trailing by 19 points.
