Max Verstappen
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the 2022 French Grand Prix ahead of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell P2 and P3 respectively
Max Verstappen won the French Grand Prix on Sunday and took a huge stride towards his second Formula One title after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc made a costly mistake and crashed out while leading. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished second for Mercedes in his 300th grand Prix, with team-mate George Russell third to secure their first podium double of the campaign.
Verstappen is understandably elated with this win and expressed his delight on social media. “Good stuff!!! I’m definitely very happy to win this one and to pick up more good points. The car was very good today and we managed the race well. Together this makes it a great day for us @redbullracing let’s keep this going”, Verstappen tweeted.
The victory on a hot afternoon at Le Castellet was Verstappen’s seventh of the season and 27th of his career. It also left him a hefty 63 points — more than two race wins — clear of closest rival Leclerc at the top with 10 rounds remaining.
Despite a significant lead at the top of the F1 Drivers’ Championship leaderboard, the reigning champion is keeping his feet on the ground, for now, believing that the final round before the summer break could pose a big challenge for Red Bull.
“Of course, it’s a great lead but a lot of things can happen and I just want to stay focused; we need a lot more good results, a lot more one-lap pace,” Verstappen said at the post-race press conference in France.
Red Bull dominates the drivers’ championship standings despite Sergio Perez not finishing on the podium in France. Max Verstappen leads the standings with 233 points. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc registered a DNF in France but still occupies second place with 170 points. Perez lies in the third spot with 163 – ahead of Carlos Sainz, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton.
In the constructors’ championship, Red Bull leads the table with 396 points, and Ferrari is significantly behind in second place with 314 points. Mercedes are further behind – they occupy third place, having earned 270 points.
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