Charles Leclerc and Ferrari Blow Another Win this Season Handing an Easy Victory to Max Verstappen in the French Grand Prix

Logan7/25/2022 2:00 PM

MARC DE MATTIA. Shutterstock Images.

I am sick and tired of being a Charles Leclerc and Ferrari fan. Seriously, how many fucking times is this team going to break our hearts this season? Three races into this season, Leclerc had just won in Australia and was leading the Driver's Championship; here's what's happened over the last nine races since that moment:

Imola - Driver error, spun out, finished sixth

Miami - Finished second

Spain - DNF, reliability issue

Monaco - Started on pole, but finished fourth after the team fucked up his strategy.

Baku - DNF, reliability issue

Canada - Started in 19th because he had to get a new engine after the car failed in Baku, finished in fifth place.

Great Britain - Finished fourth, another team strategy fuck up

Austria - Won the race

France - Driver error, spun out, DNF

Me After This Streak: Dead

Giphy Images.

So many missed opportunities. It's been over three months of heartbreak and pain being a Charles Leclerc fan. Everything has gone wrong, and today's race was the cherry on top of this very shitty sundae. The worst part about being a Charles Leclerc and Ferrari fan is that every single weekend, there's hope that it's getting better. But then… you get your heart ripped out in devasting fashion again. This weekend was no different.

Ferrari looked strong throughout practice on Friday and then showed they had the fastest car on Saturday during qualifying, with Leclerc starting Sunday's race on pole.

The race started, and Leclerc was able to hold off Verstappen on the first lap. Verstappen continued to put pressure on Leclerc over the first stint, but Ferrari's pace in the third sector in the high-speed corners was enough to combat Red Bull's straight-line speed in sector two. It wasn't going to be an easy win for Leclerc, but he was in control of his own destiny heading into the first round of pit stops. That's when disaster struck.

HOW DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING????????? Charles Leclerc out of the race after losing control of the car lodging his car in one of the barriers. He wasn't battling anyone; he was all alone and just lost control. Heartbreaking. Listening to him on the team radio, you can hear the pain in his voice because he knows he just threw away a win.

ERIC GAILLARD. Shutterstock Images.

Today, we were robbed of what could have been an epic shoot-out between the Ferrari and Red Bull drivers. Instead, Verstappen was able to cruise to an easy victory, his seventh win of the season. Verstappen extended his lead in the Driver's Championship to 63 points over Leclerc. We're only halfway through the season, but this championship is now 100% Verstappen's to lose. Leclerc and Ferrari desperately need some good luck to get back into this title fight.

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes never had the pace to challenge Verstappen and Red Bull for the win, but with Leclerc out of the race, they were able to secure a very easy second place. Mercedes has had a good run of form over the last few races and are solidifying its place as the third-best team on the grid that can be competitive with Red Bull and Ferrari on certain weekends.

The most entertaining battle on track today was for third place. Ferrari's day somehow got worse after the Leclerc's crash when their second driver, Carlos Sainz, was given a five-second penalty for an unsafe release on pit lane. That was 100% a mistake by the team, and there was nothing that Sainz could do to prevent it.

Sainz started the race in 19th because his engine in Austria two weekends ago caught on fire, so he had to take a new one for today's race. The five-second penalty was a devastating blow to Sainz, who had battled his way back into contention for the podium. Another stupid mistake by the Ferrari team. Sainz didn't let the penalty get him down and passed George Russell then he went wheel to wheel with Sergio Perez for third place.

In the MIDDLE of Sainz passing Perez, the team comes on the radio and told him to pit. WHAT ARE YOU DOING, FERRARI??? The guy is in the middle of passing someone going 150+ mph, and you're trying to tell him to stop what he's doing to pit. One of the most idiotic things I've seen from Ferrari this season, who have already made a million dumb decisions so far this year.

Sainz was able to hold off Perez for third place, but then they forced him to pit the next lap, which gave up all of the ground he made up on the track. In the pit lane, he had to serve his five-second time penalty, so when he came back out on track, he was in ninth place with only ten laps left in the race Sainz, on fresh tyres, was able to battle his way back through the field again but was only able to make up a couple of places, eventually finishing the race in fifth place.

Perez, who re-gained third place after Sainz pitted, now had to hold off Russell in his Mercedes, which had great pace this weekend. Russell pulled off an all-time bait and switch move on Perez during the virtual safety car restart, securing third place and a double podium for Mercedes.

Here's how the rest of the grid shook out:

It was an entertaining race to watch, but it could have been an incredible one if it wasn't for Leclerc's crash. The next race is this upcoming weekend in Hungary. Can't wait to see how Ferrari and Charles Leclerc are going to fuck it up again.