Formula 1 news: Charles Leclerc sounds off on 'mistake' that led to tragedy at French Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc was once again the tragic figure in Formula 1 after seeing his race come to a premature end during the French Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc was once again the tragic figure in Formula 1 after seeing his race come to a premature end during the French Grand Prix. The Scuderia Ferrari driver ended up in the tire wall while holding a firm grip on a potential podium.

Leclerc was heard letting out a loud scream in frustration as he found himself facing the wall with nothing but the voice of his team radio to comfort him:

Charles Leclerc forced to retire from a race whilst leading for a third time this season 😳#FrenchGrandPrix pic.twitter.com/EaQrf8MwiO

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) July 24, 2022

📻 | Charles Leclerc team radio full audio:

The pain in his voice as he says “NOOOOO!” 😩 pic.twitter.com/gMULYnSnif

— Ferrari News 🐎 (@FanaticsFerrari) July 24, 2022

In an F1 season that's been littered with misfortune for the young Leclerc, who's been the biggest threat to Red Bull star Max Verstappen's bid to repeat in the Formula 1 Drivers Championship, the question instantly went to who was at fault this time around.

Was it a technical issue with the vehicle that led Charles to lose control or simply an error from his part that derailed his chances to win back to back races? According to Leclerc himself the “mistake” was self-inflicted.

Via The Guardian:

“Mistake,” admits Charles Leclerc of the crash that offered Verstappen the F1 race. “I am losing too many points. We were the strongest on track today and it’s unacceptable. It’s trying to push too much and I lost the rear. When it’s warm like this it’s difficult be consistent. I made the mistake at the wrong moment.”

The pangs of defeat sting even more given that Max Verstappen ended up sealing the deal to pad his lead atop the F1 standings. He entered the French GP with a sizable but not insurmountable 38-point advantage and now piles on with a 63-point edge over Leclerc, who now faces pressure from the other Red Bull driver in Sergio Perez, now just seven points behind Leclerc for second.

But given Charles Leclerc's undeniable ability to bounce back from misfortunes, which he showed a couple of weeks back in Austria, the race to finish on top is far from over.