Charles Leclerc shouldered the blame after an “unacceptable” mistake led to his crash at the French Grand Prix.
The Monegasque had led the way from pole at the start and fended off Max Verstappen during a gripping first stint at Paul Ricard.
But shortly after the Red Bull driver had pitted for tyres, Leclerc lost the rear through Le Beausset and slid into the barrier resulting in a third retirement of the year.
“Mistake, mistake,” he told Sky Sports on what caused the spin, this after his radio after the crash had mentioned a possible throttle issue.
Total heartbreak for Charles Leclerc ?#FrenchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/boNWYn8vlY
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 24, 2022
“I think I am performing at the highest level of my career but if I keep doing those mistakes then it is pointless to perform at a very high level.
“I am losing too many points. I think seven in Imola, 25 here because honestly 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 from.
“It’s unacceptable. I just need to get on top of those things.”
Asked how he will look to improve, Leclerc responded: “I go through the same process all the time, try to analyse.
With you always ?❤️ @Charles_Leclerc #essereFerrari ? #FrenchGP pic.twitter.com/RIzqz0WfM5
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) July 24, 2022
“The snap was a bit of a weird one, so look into the data and try to understand if there is nothing that I do not know yet but to me, it is a mistake and that’s it.
“It’s just trying to push too much and I lost the rear. It has been a very difficult weekend for me I struggled with the balance of the car.
“I like oversteering car, but when it is warm like this it is very difficult to be consistent and very difficult to put laps together. I did a mistake at the wrong moment.”
With Verstappen going on to claim his seventh win of the year, Leclerc now sits 63 points behind the Red Bull in the Drivers’ Championship.