Leclerc sucks up Spa blow and says reviving title challenge 'looks very difficult'

By Sports Desk August 28, 2022

Charles Leclerc is struggling to see how he and Ferrari can get back into title contention after a tough weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix.

A dominant race for Red Bull on Sunday saw the Austrian team take first and second place, with drivers' championship leader Max Verstappen topping the podium from Sergio Perez.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz was third, while Leclerc's dwindling title hopes took another knock when he crossed the line fifth before a penalty for speeding in the pit lane nudged him down a spot.

Leclerc now sits third in the standings with 186 points, a daunting 98 points behind Verstappen. Perez sits five points ahead of Leclerc now, too, and although there are eight races remaining, defending champion Verstappen practically has another title in the bag.

In the constructors' standings, Red Bull have 475 points, well ahead of Ferrari whose haul of 357 puts them second.

Leclerc took responsibility for his excessive pit-lane pace, saying it was "my fault... it's a mistake and that's it".

Reflecting on the bigger picture and looking at what improvements Ferrari might make, with time running out, Leclerc said: "It starts to look very difficult.

"Especially with the pace they've shown this weekend, it's going to be very, very difficult. But I'll keep my head down, try to focus race by race and try to do my best."

Speaking on Sky Sports, Leclerc was asked whether he was still in championship contention.

Again, he answered: "It starts to look very difficult."

Team-mate Sainz agreed Ferrari were left in a sticky position after an arduous weekend.

"Unfortunately it was harder than expected," said the Spaniard. "We had a lot of over-heating on the tyres, we were sliding around a lot, and for some reason our package wasn't quite there this weekend, but in the end we finished on a podium and we will take it.

"The first two laps were strong, but then we went into high degradation and I realised we were degrading more than what we should. Unfortunately we couldn't put up a stronger fight and we had to survive. We will have to learn why at this track we were not so competitive."

Sainz believes there could be stronger results ahead for Ferrari at the Dutch Grand Prix, which comes next, but he does not expect Red Bull to drop off and predicted they will be strong in Italy in two weeks' time.

"Zandvoort should be a better track for us," Sainz said. "Monza should be advantage for Red Bull there, but we will try and win it in Zandvoort."

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    Hamilton, meanwhile, took the opportunity to congratulate his great rival Max Verstappen after the Red Bull driver sealed his fourth world championship by finishing ahead of Lando Norris.

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    The Red Bull star is now behind only Hamilton (seven), Michael Schumacher (seven) and Juan Manuel Fangio (five) when it comes to world titles.

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    After pitting, Sainz and Leclerc got themselves back ahead of Verstappen in the final 10 laps, ensuring Ferrari closed the gap on McLaren in the Constructors' Championship to just 24 points.

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    Verstappen is just the fifth driver in F1 history to win four consecutive world titles.

    The last to do so was Hamilton between 2017 and 2020, a run that was ultimately ended by Verstappen in 2021. 

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    Verstappen has now moved onto 2,989.5 points over the course of his career, meaning his next target is to break the 3,000-point barrier, something only Hamilton and Vettel have previously achieved.

    Red Bull's chances in the Constructors' Championship seem slim, but if they can set a fastest lap in the final two races of the season, they will become the fifth team to hit the 100 mark, after Ferrari (263), McLaren (171), Williams (133) and Mercedes (109).

    Top 10

    1. George Russell (Mercedes)

    2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

    3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

    4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

    5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 

    6. Lando Norris (McLaren)

    7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

    8. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

    9. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)

    10. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

    CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

    Drivers'

    1. Max Verstappen - 403

    2. Lando Norris - 340

    3. Charles Leclerc - 319

    Constructors'

    1. McLaren - 608

    2. Ferrari - 584

    3. Red Bull - 555

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