Ferrari had tough luck in Paul Ricard last Sunday, despite being the fastest team across the circuit at the French Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc secured the pole position in France, while Carlos Sainz was handed a ten-grid spot penalty for taking a new engine. Leclerc had a great start to the race as he managed to hold on to an all-out attack from Max Verstappen during the first few laps of the race. After pushing for a while, the Dutchman maintained his distance from Leclerc to manage his fast-degrading tyres.
The Monegasque was leading comfortably when he suffered a crash from the lead that left him gutted. Charles lost his car’s rear during lap 18, locked out, and slid right into the barriers, making a head-on impact. The disappointment in France has resulted in Leclerc falling 63-points behind Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship.
Meanwhile, Sainz’s car seemed to be the fastest across the circuit in Paul Ricard. Starting at P19, the Spaniard quickly got up the grid and eventually managed to get ahead of Perez at P3 in an attempt to clinch a podium from Ferrari. However, Ferrari called in Sainz for a tyre change and also for a penalty for an unsafe release, dropping him to P9.
Eventually, Carlos kept fighting and finished P5 for his team after Leclerc’s retirement. George Russell clinched the opportunity with a P3 finish and secured a double podium for Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton finishing at P2. Recently, the seven-time world champion shared that he was gutted for Leclerc and advised the Monegasque in his battle with Max Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton Thinks Ferrari Needs To Keep Pushing
Hamilton further reckoned that it had been great to witness Ferrari’s pace this season. He was gutted for Charles and mentioned that he and Sainz were doing an excellent job for Ferrari. Moreover, Briton pointed out that having top pace and performance and maintaining is not an easy job. Lewis felt for the Ferrari team members. He stated that he understood how they would have felt after the disappointment in France.
The Mercedes driver added Ferrari is a great team, and they would continue to keep their heads down. He stated there was a massive gap in terms of points. And things could get interesting as the season moves ahead. The 37-year-old said, “But a lot still can go wrong up ahead. So I would just advise them just to continue to push.”