Leclerc self-destructs: 'Title aspirations ruined'

Charles Leclerc experienced a dramatic weekend in France when he crashed out of the race. He saw his direct rival Max Verstappen move further ahead in the world championship and according to David Tremayne, it will not be easy to make up the 63 points deficit.

The Monegasque had an excellent start to the World Championship, topping the table for the first few race weekends. Red Bull Racing then improved its form and Verstappen took a string of wins, while Ferrari suffered from bad luck on several occasions. This allowed Verstappen to take the lead.

Leclerc ruins fight for world title

Although Ferrari still have the better car, Leclerc has been unable to hurt Verstappen on several occasions. In France, he had an opportunity to close the gap but made a mistake. According to the Formula 1 journalist, this might just be the decision, he stated on Formula1.com.

"That the red car stopped in an unexpected way, nose-first into the tyres in the wonderful Le Beausset 180-degree right-hander, after Charles had lost the back end and spun," he recalled. "Sadly denied us what could have been a very finely-balanced contest. And quite possibly ruined Charles’s title aspirations."