More disappointment for Charles Leclerc at British Grand Prix

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had a forgettable race at the British Grand Prix on Sunday as the Formula One championship contender saw a victory that was out of the question.

The championship lead after three races, Leclerc saw his challenge derailed by a string of bad results, some of them self-inflicted injuries like at Silverstone.

Leading with 12 laps left, Leclerc finished in an unhappy fourth place after a tactical call made him win.

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Monegasque was out in a late safety car and then had to defend against teammate and race winners Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez of Red Bull, who were called in for new tyres.

With Sainz running away for his first career win, Leclerc is left in a battle for second place with Perez and Lewis Hamilton, the Mercedes team’s favorite.

“I still don’t know,” Leclerc said when asked why he wasn’t ahead of Sainz. “Obviously it was very late (the call) and they made the decision to stay, saying ‘stay’,’ so I can’t get in clearly if we’re linking up and that’s it.”

While it made for a compelling finish to an entertaining race, the result was not what Leclerc needed as he sought to cut the advantage of Red Bull’s championship lead, Max Verstappen.

If there was any consolation for Leclerc it was an equally disappointing afternoon for the Dutchman, who had car problems and finished seventh overall.

After 10 out of 22 races, Verstappen topped the standings with 181 points, 34 points ahead of teammate Perez and 43 points ahead of Leclerc.

Leclerc said: “The disappointment was real for me today. “It’s a roller coaster race.

“The first round I broke the front wing and I think that’s over and there were quite a few people directing under the muscle.

“The pace is back and we’re strong and victory seems more and more possible.

“Then there’s the safety car and that’s it.”

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Leclerc has seen his title challenge lackluster with a string of Ferrari failures. After winning pole at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in early June, Leclerc’s race ended in the pit with the engine smoking.

A week later at the Canadian Grand Prix, he was forced to start from behind the net after an engine penalty, fighting to reclaim an awe-inspiring fifth place.

But the team’s June difficulties have followed Leclerc into July, which he hopes will eventually turn around next week in Austria. “That (teammate’s mistake) cost a lot but…,” Leclerc said, not finishing as he returned to the Ferrari hotel suites.