'I hope he's okay' - Red Bull's Max Verstappen worried for Charles Leclerc after crash ends Ferrari driver's hopes
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Updated 24/07/2022 at 15:15 GMT
Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the French Grand Prix at least in part due to his rival Charles Leclerc crashing out at lap 18 due to an error from the Monegasque. While Verstappen was pleased with his team's performance, he said after the race that he hoped that his former karting peer was okay after the crash.
Max Verstappen
Image credit: Getty Images
Max Verstappen showed sympathy for Charles Leclerc after his rival crashed out at the French Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Red Bull driver was behind the Ferrari man after 18 laps, but Leclerc span out and collided with a barrier, ending his race.
It was the third time this year that Leclerc had failed to finish a race from a leading position, and after the race he admitted that he was making too many mistakes to sustain a title challenge.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Verstappen explained why he was initially driving a little conservatively.
"We had really good pace from the start,” he began. “I was putting pressure on Charles. Following around here, with this heat, the tyres are overheating a lot so I could never really go for a move - only once.
"We just tried to stay calm, stay close... we pitted a bit earlier and from there onwards you never know how the race is going to go. The car was quick today.
"Of course, unlucky for Charles and I hope he's okay. From there onwards, I just did my race and looked after the tyres.
"With the pit-lane being so long, you couldn't do another stop so you had to stay out. The tyres were wearing a lot so it was about looking after the tyres to the end."
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