Ferrari implodes as Verstappen cruises to win: 2022 French GP as it happened

Max Verstappen took a calm and comfortable French Grand Prix win in Paul Ricard as the Ferrari team descended into chaos.

Charles Leclerc dramatically crashed out whilst leading, as Carlos Sainz engaged in a convoluted strategy debate with his team and lost a chance to finish in the top three.

Leclerc admitted to making a mistake through Beausset, screaming in frustration on the radio with his Ferrari in the barriers.

Verstappen was left to take an unchallenged victory, with Hamilton putting in an impressive drive to second but never threatening the Dutchman.

George Russell won a thrilling duel with Sergio Perez to claim third, with Carlos Sainz ultimately finishing fifth.

Here’s how the action played out in the south of France:

As the cars roared away in searing heat on lap 1, Leclerc made his pole advantage count, taking the lead into Turn 1. Behind him Verstappen was second and Lewis Hamilton used his decisive start to take third from Sergio Perez.

Behind him Fernando Alonso made moves to get into fifth and Lando Norris fell to seventh. It was all clean racing through the opening few corners, but it didn’t last.

Yuki Tsunoda, who qualified well in eighth, was turned around by local hero Esteban Ocon at the chicane on the Mistral Straight.

Max Verstappen managed to keep relatively close to Charles Leclerc, but crucially not within the DRS-activating 1sec gap by lap 3.

Further down the field Kevin Magnussen, who started last due to engine penalties, was rocketing through the order up to 12th.

As Verstappen and Leclerc made their way onto lap four, the Red Bull driver now had closed to within a second. The Dutchman was gaining on the Mistral, but then struggling to keep up through the corners.

Ocon was given a 5sec penalty for causing a collision, whilst by lap 5 Sergio Perez was right on Hamilton’s gearbox.

On lap 6 Leclerc had a snap of oversteer through the chicane, meaning Verstappen menacingly had a look on the outside at the end of the Mistral.

He continued to stick with the Ferrari through the next tour, but still couldn’t find a way past.

Perez was given a second track limits warning as he laboured to get past Hamilton on lap 8, the Mexican then beginning to fall away as the Mercedes driver became the fastest man on track.

Lap 9 saw Magnussen come in to switch his medium Pirellis for hards as he looked to run a long stint on the latter.

On the next lap Carlos Sainz was told his pace was good as the second Scuderia man made progress up the field to 12th from 19th, while Mick Schumacher and Zhou Guanyu also put hard tyres on.

By lap 12 the gap between Leclerc and Verstappen began to stretch out, up to almost a second as it appeared the Monegasque had weathered the opening storm.

Magnussen was running the same pace as the leaders, albeit down in 17th, showing the benefits of running fresher tyres in the heat of Paul Ricard.

On lap 13 Sainz made a move stick on Lance Stroll, diving up the inside into the chicane on the straight. The Ferrari locked up slightly as he did so, but managed to defend his place.

Leclerc continued to pull away with his margin up to as much 1.9sec by lap 16. Verstappen decided by the end of that tour that he’d had enough of his medium Pirellis, pitting and then remerging in seventh from Norris.

Sainz passed Daniel Ricciardo for ninth on the next lap, as did Verstappen on Norris – but then the race was turned on its head.

Leclerc lost the rear of his Ferrari going through Le Beausset, spinning off and ending up in the tyre barriers. An anguished scream came from the home hero on the radio as he struggled to reverse his car away, but to no avail – his race was over.

The safety car came out, and most of the field took the opportunity to pit, including Hamilton, Perez and Russell.

Tsunoda retired on lap 20, the contact from the Ocon clash to serious to continue, as the safety car came in at the end of lap 21.

Verstappen lead into the first turn, with, Hamilton, Perez and Russell following. Sainz passed Norris into the Montreal chicane for sixth as Ferrari hopes now rested on the Spaniard.

He immediately closed on countryman Alonso, Ferrari overtaking Alpine on lap 23. Schumacher was then spun around by Zhou, the Alfa Romeo clipping the Haas as it attempted to overtake. Zhou had to come in to change his front wing, while the German remained in 17th.

Sainz was then handed a 5sec penalty for an unsafe release in front of Albon during the safety car period, but the Ferrari was closing on the leading group.

“I am quicker than these guys,” said Sainz as he moved to within a second of Russell by lap 26. Zhou was also given 5sec penalty for his contact with Schumacher.

Alonso was told Norris was getting close, but the Spaniard confidently replied “I want him close to kill his tyres.”

Gasly ran on at the chicane after trying to pass Albon, dropping to 15th from 12th on lap 28, whilst Hamilton and Verstappen traded fastest sector times.

As lap 30 went by Sainz managed to get Russell to defend into the chicane, the Spaniard then sweeping round the outside of Signes to claim fourth.

Hamilton went off at Turn 2 as he suffered a snap of oversteer on lap 33, whilst Sainz’s medium compound tyres began to suffer from blistering.

By lap 35 Ocon was beginning to pressure Ricciardo, getting with half a second and forcing him to defend into the chicane.

Two laps later Sainz was also within 1sec of Perez as the Ferrari looked to make more progress.

“Is anyone else getting deg?” asked Hamilton as many cars began to suffer with tyre wear in the wind and heat.

Latifi attempted to pass Magnussen at Turn 2 on lap 38, who was forced onto the kerbs, clattering over them and then connecting with the Williams, who spun off at Turn 2.

Magnussen had to retire due to damage sustained, as Vettel passed Albon for 11th a lap later.

Sainz began to have a conversation with his team about whether to pit – the Spaniard wanted to come in, but his team instructed him to stay on track.

He then engaged in a battle with Perez from the chicane, eventually prevailing in the final corner as the two ran side by side through several turns.

His engineer told him to pit mid-battle with the Red Bull, angering Sainz, before the team strangely decided to bring him in despite appearing to have more grip than those in the lead group, dropping him from third to seventh.

On lap 43 Russell then had a lunge on Perez into the chicane, the two making contact as the Red Bull had to head through the run-off.

They continued to squabble on the proceeding laps, as Russell angrily radioed to his team requesting a penalty for his rival.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff twice spoke to his young charge to calm him down and instruct him to focus on the race.

By lap 46 Sainz was into sixth as he got past Norris, whilst Ocon took Ricciardo for eighth. He passed Alonso two laps later, but the 20sec gap to Russell looked far too ambitious with five laps to go.

The Ferrari man wasn’t happy though: “I don’t understand,” said the driver to his team, lamenting their strategy.

Zhou Guanyu then stopped on track at the end of lap 49, as the Virtual Safety Car was brought out.

A game of VSC cat-and-mouse then broke out between Perez and Russell, as the Mercedes driver caught his Red Bull counterpart sleeping, getting the jump as the safety period ended on lap 50 and taking third. 

Perez tracked the Mercedes in the next laps, as Russell struggled to stay ahead.

It was all calm at the front though as Verstappen took the win with an assured 10sec gap on Hamilton, who claimed his best finish of the season.

Perez made a lunge on Russell in Bendor but to no avail, the Brit taking the final podium place. Sainz closed to within 10sec, whilst Alonso took sixth, Norris seventh and Ocon eighth. Ricciardo had a more solid weekend to claim ninth.

The Aston Martins were also duelling to the death, with Stroll parking his AMR22 on the apex in the final corner to block an annoyed Vettel who raised his hand to remonstrate – the Canadian held on to claim the final point.

2022 French Grand Prix results

*Includes additional point for fastest lap