Original title: F1 French Grand Prix: Leclerc leads the crash, Verstappen smiles
The French Grand Prix started at the Paul Ricard circuit on the 24th. Ferrari driver Leclerc crashed in the lead position, Red Bull driver Verstappen took advantage of the safety car opportunity to take the lead and easily won the championship. Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu withdrew due to a car breakdown.
After the start of the race, Leclerc, who started from pole position, held on to the first position and maintained a slight lead over Verstappen in second. On the 17th lap, Verstappen pitted for hard tires and came out in seventh place.
After just one lap, Leclerc slid at Turn 11, and then the car lost control and slid off the track and hit the tire wall. The race would show a yellow flag and dispatch the safety car. A large number of drivers who had not yet pitted chose to pit to change their tires. Verstappen Take the opportunity to rise to the leading position.
On the 22nd lap, Haas driver Mick Schumacher collided with Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu of the Alfa Romeo team. Zhou Guanyu’s car’s front wing was damaged and he pitted for replacement.
In the ensuing races, Verstappen and Mercedes driver Hamilton easily took the lead in the top two positions, while their respective teammates Perez and Russell were fiercely fighting for the final podium spot.
With only four laps left in the race, Zhou Guanyu’s car malfunctioned and stopped at the side of the track, triggering a virtual safety car.
The race resumed two laps later and Russell seized the opportunity to overtake Perez to seal third. In the end, Verstappen laughed at Leclerc’s retirement gift and easily won the championship, and Hamilton won the runner-up in the 300th Grand Prix of his F1 career. Russell and Perez ranked third and fourth respectively, while Ferrari driver Sainz finished fifth.
After 12 races, Verstappen continued to lead the driver’s standings with 233 points, Leclerc ranked second with 170 points, and Perez followed closely and narrowed the gap. In terms of teams, Red Bull has accumulated 396 points and continues to expand its lead over Ferrari. The next race of the Hungarian Grand Prix will be held on July 31.