"Mercedes benefitted from Leclerc's crash" British Press react to French GP

The 2022 French GP will be remembered as an important one for the outcome of the Championship. While it's only just passed the half-way point of the season, it seems like the odds are too great in Red Bull's and Verstappen's favour. Here's what the British Media have to say about the events in Le Castellet

Though reigning World Champion Max Verstappen cruised to a dominant victory in Le Castellet, the focus of the BBC ends up on his main title rival, Charles Leclerc, and rightly so."Leclerc was going to stay out for a few more laps. He would have rejoined behind the Red Bull but with fresher tyres, and the question would have been whether he could have overtaken to reclaim the lead. But he never got to find out, and the error handed an easy win to Verstappen - his seventh in 12 races - and, more to the point, a colossal 63-point championship lead. With 10 races to go, 25 points for a victory, a seven-point difference between first and second place and Ferrari not exactly having the smoothest of seasons, one does not have to be a mathematician to see just how steep a mountain Leclerc has to climb now." Writes the British publication.

It's not the first time this season that Leclerc and Ferrari have thrown away victory, but never as sorely as what transpired at Paul Ricard yesterday.

While other publications may focus on the tragic events in the Ferrari camp, the Sun decides to cover a more positive aspect of the French Grand Prix; Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes' best race of the season. "Lewis Hamilton took full advantage on his 300th GP start to snatch a well-deserved second place - his first of the season. We were treated to a genuine fight on track between Verstappen and Hamilton for the first time since their controversial Abu Dhabi GP. But in truth there was no stopping Verstappen, who was able to power away from Hamilton's Mercedes."

As with the Sun, the Telegraph praises the improvements that Mercedes and their drivers have made this weekend. "Hamilton called it an “incredible” result for the team and also praised the performance of Russell, who snatched a dramatic late podium from the Red Bull of Sergio Perez. There is no doubt there was progress throughout the weekend and though the improvement is there, it is lumpy."

The Guardian make their point clear in the opening lines of their race report; Charles Leclerc will not win the championship if he keeps making mistakes like this.