F1 French Grand Prix 2022 result: Max Verstappen wins after Charles Leclerc crash as Lewis Hamilton finishes second

Max Verstappen took victory at the French Grand Prix after previous leader Charles Leclerc crashed out.

Leclerc had been the dominant force at Circuit Paul Ricard, qualifying first and keeping Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at bay from the start on Sunday.

Yet the Monegasque driver’s mistake on lap 18 saw him lose the back end and crash into the tyre wall, allowing Verstappen to assume a lead that was never under threat from the chasing pack.

A late error following a virtual safety car from Sergio Perez allowed George Russell to sneak third place behind Hamilton, making it a weekend to celebrate for Mercedes. Matters could hardly have been more different for Ferrari, whose confused race strategy for Carlos Sainz ultimately saw him take P5 when it looked like a podium shot was possible.

2022 French Grand Prix results

Leclerc vows to ‘get on top of mistakes’

There was a stunned silence around the Ferrari garage after Leclerc lost his rear and spun into the barrier, having held off some early pressure from Verstappen to build a decent lead.

Back at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Leclerc was battling the Red Bull of Perez and looking strong before a mistake at the Turn 14-15 chicane damaged the car. He recovered, but only to finish sixth.

That error was obviously on his mind after another error here, this time from first place. It looked as though a lack of rear grip, or perhaps a throttle problem, had caused his spin, but his scream of frustration over the team radio told its own story.

Speaking later via Sky Sports, he said: “[It was] A mistake, a mistake. I’ve been saying I think I’m performing at my highest level in my career but if I keep doing those mistakes then it’s pointless to perform at a very high level. I’m losing too many points.

“Seven in Imola, 25 here because we probably were the strongest car on track today, so if we lose the championship by 32 points at the end of the season, I will know from where they are coming. It’s unacceptable. I just need to get on top of those things.”

Ferrari sinners for Sainz

Sainz produced a brilliant drive from the back of the grid to climb back into podium contention. Viewers began to wonder whether his medium tyres could cope with a one-stop strategy, but as the laps ticked by and his times remained strong, it seemed Ferrari were going for the “Plan B” gamble they had spoken about over the radio.

Then, just as Sainz was producing a bold, brilliant move on Perez to move into third, he got the call telling him to ‘box’. “Not now, not now!” he bellowed in reply — and with good reason, having finally got past the troublesome Red Bull.

After all that, Sainz then pitted on the next lap, giving up his podium place and those precious extra points as he failed to close the gap back to Perez and Russell’s battleground. It was a bizarre piece of race management from Ferrari to compound a really disappointing weekend.

MORE: Formula 1 standings 2022: Updated schedule, results, betting odds for every F1 World Championship race

Joy for Mercedes on famous day for Hamilton

Hamilton will hope to break the curse of the 300 club: the other five drivers to pass that milestone of Grand Prix starts failed to win another race after doing so.

In many ways, this will have felt like a victory for Mercedes: second place for their seven-time world champion as he reached a third century of races, and third for Russell after a smart bit of driving following a late virtual safety car.

Hamilton’s drive in air temperatures pushing 34C (93F) was all the more remarkable given his drinks system failed.

“That was actually a tough race because my drinks bottle didn’t work, but what a great result, considering we’ve been so far off these guys all weekend,” he said. “Reliability is one thing that my team’s been amazing at, so a huge congratulations to the team back at the factory, the team here, who without them we couldn’t get this podium.”

F1 French Grand Prix 2022 commentary, highlights

MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE FRENCH GRAND PRIX! The reigning world champion takes full advantage of Leclerc’s mistake to take the chequered flag. Hamilton is second and Mercedes teammate Russell holds off Perez for third. Sainz is fifth, Alonso sixth, Norris seventh, Ocon eighth, Ricciardo ninth and Stroll 10th.

Lap 52: Sainz sets a new fastest lap but he won’t be finishing any higher than fifth barring some very late drama. Perez now seems to be claiming Russell went off the track to pass him, but he remains fourth for the final lap.

Lap 51: Russell goes third! As the virtual safety car ends, Perez seemed to be sleeping for the restart and Russell simply stole down the inside. The Mexican has got DRS and superior speed, so we’ve got a two-lap fight for the podium here!

Lap 50: Zhou’s car has come to a halt and we’re going to have a virtual safety car. No late tyre changes, then. That’s the fifth retirement of the day.

Lap 48: Russell just doesn’t quite have the speed to keep the pressure on Perez, but that Red Bull’s grip is diminishing fast. Can he hold on?

Lap 47: Verstappen’s lead is now at more than 10 seconds with just six laps to go. Hamilton is comfortably clear of Perez, but Russell is still battling for that final podium spot.

Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc has spoken about his crash — and he’s blaming nobody but himself.

“A mistake,” he said. “I think I’m performing at the highest level of my career, but I’m losing too many points. Twenty-five here, because we were probably the strongest car here. It’s unacceptable. I need to get on top of those things.”

Lap 45: That near-miss between Perez and Russell will not be investigated, so the Red Bull is still third. Hamilton and Verstappen have clear track around them at the moment.

Lap 43: And after all that, Sainz pits on the next lap! Incredible, bizarre race management from Ferrari. Meanwhile, Perez and Russell come dangerously close to a collision, but the Red Bull remains in front. Sainz is now eighth, by the way, on fresh tyres but presumably fuming.

Watch Sainz overtake Perez (UK):

Lap 42: Incredible scenes as Sainz goes third — all while being told to pit! The Spaniard at last drew close enough to Perez for a run down the outside, but the Red Bull squeezes him wide. Sainz goes for it again and turns superbly, and just as he pulls ahead of Perez, his team tell him to pit! “Not now!” comes the reply!

Lap 40: Magnussen retires in the pits, but Latifi is still running. That means we’re still at just three retirements for the day, which is some going in this heat. Verstappen’s lead over Hamilton has now grown to more than eight seconds, while Perez is still ahead of Sainz, the only frontrunner still out there on the medium compound.

Lap 38: Verstappen tells his team: “Everyone must be struggling with the left front.” Well, the leader can’t be finding it too difficult — his lead over Hamilton is now more than seven seconds. Meanwhile, Nicholas Latifi has collided with Magnussen after trying to pass him for P15. They’ve both pitted, and it looks like their races could be over.

Lap 37: Sainz is around half a second behind Perez now — he’s doing his utmost to salvage this weekend for Ferrari. Russell has fallen more than three seconds behind the top four now.

Lap 35: Hamilton, Perez and Sainz are starting to form a bit of a queue in the battle for second. Back in ninth, Ocon has closed right onto the back of the McLarens, who were held up by Alonso just as he predicted. The man really does know.

Lap 32: Hamilton makes a mistake and goes off the track at Turn 2. He’s dropped to 5.7 seconds behind Verstappen, while Perez has been able to close to around 1.5 seconds further back.

Lap 30: Sainz up to fourth! He goes wheel-to-wheel with Russell and holds his nerve down the outside of Turn 13. Bold and brilliant driving. Of course, Sainz will have to stop again to change those mediums and serve a penalty…

Lap 27: Alonso is warned about Norris closing the gap. “No problem,” he says. “I want him close to me to kill the tyres.” The man knows.

Lap 26: We’ve reached the halfway stage of the race. The top five are:

1. Verstappen
   
2. Hamilton
   
3. Perez
   
4. Russell
   
5. Sainz (pending five-second penalty)
   

Charles Leclerc, who led from pole position, crashed out on the 18th lap.

Lap 23: Zhou Guanyou’s had to pit for a new front nose after clipping the back of Schumacher’s Haas. Haas are now back in 15th and 17th, having looked on course for a positive race prior to the safety car. Meanwhile, Sainz (who is now fifth) has been hit with a five-second penalty for an unsafe pit release.

Lap 20: The safety car is in and we’re racing again. It’s Verstappen who leads, with Hamilton second, Perez third and Russell fourth.

Lap 19: Leclerc had mentioned problems with rear grip, and we’ve just seen why. He lost the back of the car and there was nothing he could do. We’ve just heard him over the radio mention a throttle problem, before screaming his frustration. Verstappen has asked his own team if Leclerc is okay (he is — he’s on his way back to parc ferme).

Lap 18: LECLERC IS OUT! Would you believe it? Leclerc has gone into the tyre wall after Turn 11 and is out of the race! There is a stunned silence in the Ferrari garage. We’ve got a safety car so teams are scrambling to change tyres, with Verstappen now leading from Hamilton and Vettel after all those pit stops.

Watch Leclerc crash out (Canada):

Watch Leclerc crash out (UK):

Lap 17: Verstappen pits! A 2.4-second change onto hards and he’s back out behind Norris, putting him seventh (although he soon moves up to P6). Leclerc tells his team his tyres are suffering, but Ferrari have been discussing ‘Plan B’ over the radio and the pit crew aren’t readying themselves… are they going for a one-stop strategy?

Lap 15: Verstappen is 1.9 seconds behind Leclerc now and Russell is closing the gap to Perez in fourth. Red Bull’s day is suddenly looking a little less promising. All 20 cars are still out on the track, but reliability is going to be sorely tested in these temperatures.

Lap 12 Sainz passes Sebastian Vettel in some style and then surges away from Lance Stroll, while Russell has taken fifth place from Alonso. Hamilton’s got some free track around him but he can’t quite close the gap to Verstappen in second. He’s about 6.5 seconds behind.

Lap 11: Perez, who’s had a couple of track warnings already, seems to be struggling for rear grip and has now fallen more than two seconds behind Hamilton. Leclerc still leads from Verstappen, and he looks a little more comfortable now.

Lap 8: Props to Kevin Magnussen, by the way, who climbed eight places from the back of the grid. He’s just become the first man in the pits for a tyre change. The Aston Martins are next in line for Sainz, who is 12th and on the charge.

Lap 7: Verstappen has a look down the outside of Leclerc but he’s not quite close enough. Perez, meanwhile, is hanging off Hamilton’s rear wing. Red Bull are looking good in these early exchanges. Ocon, who was given a five-second penalty for that early collision with Tsunoda, moves into eighth above Daniel Ricciardo.

Lap 5: Make that 14th for Sainz, who leapfrogs Mick Schumacher. Leclerc has pulled a little further clear of Verstappen, with his lead at around eight tenths of a second. Perez is now piling the pressure on Hamilton…

Lap 4: Verstappen is closing the gap to Leclerc — he’s within DRS-range now. “Good pace,” say the team over the radio. Hamilton is a further four seconds down, with Perez chasing hard. Carlos Sainz has climbed to 15th from the back row.

Lap 2: Fernando Alonso also made a great start, moving above George Russell into fifth. Esteban Ocon clipped Tsunoda to force that spin on the first lap, so we’ll expect stewards to look at that one.

LIGHTS OUT: It’s ‘go’ at the French Grand Prix! Leclerc beats Verstappen into the first corner, Hamilton is up to third! What a start from the Mercedes driver. Yellow flags are now out as Yuki Tsunoda took a spin. He’s still out there, but he’s got some work to do now.

10 minutes to lights out: We’re just minutes from getting underway here. Who are you backing to win race 12 of the season?

30 minutes to lights out: With the pit lane open and the grid filling up, things are starting to warm up… in more ways than one.

The temperature is rising and is expected to hit 34C (93F) today, which is going to make driver fatigue and car management a particular challenge.

Lando Norris told Sky Sports: “It’s going to be a tough race both physically for us as drivers and also just managing everything. Managing the car, brake and tyre temperatures… it’s going to be a tough race from that side of it. Tricky, but exciting at the same time.”

40 minutes to lights out: Today, Hamilton becomes only the sixth driver in history to start 300 Grands Prix. The others are Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Rubens Barichello, Michael Schumacher and compatriot Jenson Button.

He’s won more than a third of all F1 races he’s entered (103 of 299, or 34.45 per cent), but he’s yet to get a victory in 2022. What’s more, none of the other five drivers to go beyond 300 races managed to win another one. Could that change here?

Ahead of his parade lap around the Paul Ricard Circuit, Hamilton said he hoped to provide fans with “hopefully the best race ever!”. Here’s hoping…

1 hour to lights out: Hello, and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the 2022 French Grand Prix in Le Castellet.

Charles Leclerc held off Max Verstappen to win last time out in Austria and the Ferrari driver pipped the reigning world champion to pole position this weekend.

With Carlos Sainz moved to the back of the grid following technical changes, Leclerc will be on his own as he attempts to keep the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Sergio Perez at bay.

Lewis Hamilton, who qualified in P4, won here in 2018 and 2019 and was second last year, but his comparative lack of pace in qualifying means his hopes are not high of a victory on his 300th F1 start.

F1 French Grand Prix 2022 starting grid

How to watch Formula 1 in the USA

• Race: French Grand Prix
• Date: Sunday, July 24
• TV channel: ESPN
• Live stream: fuboTV
  
  

The ESPN family of networks will broadcast all 2022 F1 races in the United States using Sky Sports' feed, with select races airing on ABC. You can also stream Formula 1 races live in the U.S. with fuboTV.

ESPN Deportes serves as the exclusive Spanish-language home for all 2022 F1 races in the U.S.

How to watch Formula 1 in Canada

• TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
• Live stream: TSN Direct
  
  

For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English-language telecast of races. For those looking for the French broadcast, RDS will have you covered.

Races can also be streamed via TSN’s streaming service, TSN Direct.

How to watch Formula 1 in the United Kingdom

• TV channel: Sky Sports F1
• Live stream: NOW TV
  
  

Viewers in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2022, you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.

How to watch Formula 1 in Australia

• TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
• Live stream: Kayo
  
  

Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia, with Channel 10 broadcasting the Australian GP.

Formula 1 schedule 2022

There are 22 scheduled events on the F1 docket for 2022, one race shy of tying the mark for the longest F1 calendar.

The season started in Bahrain on March 20 and will end with the customary Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, although a bit earlier than usual, in November. If the schedule stands, this will be the earliest end of the Formula 1 season since it concluded on Nov. 4 in 2013.

Returning to the 2022 F1 slate are the Canadian and Japanese Grand Prix, both of which were cancelled in 2021 amid fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

The calendar also holds the maiden voyage for the Miami Grand Prix, the first of two races in the United States in 2022, with the customary United States GP taking place in October.

The Russian Grand Prix, originally scheduled for Sept. 25, was cancelled because of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Here’s the latest schedule (subject to change — all times BST):

Source: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/formula-1/news/f1-french-grand-prix-2022-live-updates-highlights/pkaksafw5o3un4cbkughwmk9