"The oversteering didn't come from him"- Here's why Charles Leclerc alone wasn't responsible for his crash at 2022 F1 French GP, according to former driver

Former driver Hans-Joachim Stuck does not think that Charles Leclerc's crash during the F1 French GP was the driver's fault. According to the German, the way the car oversteered was not natural. Additionally, there was probably an element of the team asking Charles Leclerc to put out this statement as well.

Speaking to Eurosport.de, Hans said:

"I don't know how much longer Ferrari will give him credit(talking about Mattia Binotto and his stay in the team). For me, however, something else is still a mystery: Charles Leclerc's departure from Le Castellet. If you look at the accident a hundred times: the oversteering didn't come from him. I can imagine that he was instructed by the team to claim that he made a mistake even though there was a problem with the car. I wouldn't rule that out. There is enormous pressure there."

When questioned if Charles Leclerc has the potential to beat Max Verstappen, Hans agreed, and said:

"He has, no question. As I said: At the moment, Verstappen is above everyone else. But right behind them are drivers like Leclerc, Hamilton, Carlos Sainz or George Russell, who can definitely stand up to him."

When questioned if Ferrari could pick up their game in the second half of the season to help Charles Leclerc challenge for the title, the former driver quipped:

"They will have to. I mean it's Ferrari. Now they have to deliver. You have high potential. But if they want to do that, the mistakes they made this year must not happen. It's a shame how many points they've already thrown away this season. We know that there's always "grande casino" at Ferrari. But this year there was already a lot of "casino". They have been undervalued through their own fault. If they hadn't made these mistakes, Leclerc would be much further ahead."

You cannot write off Charles Leclerc in the championship

Even though the gap between Leclerc and Verstappen is 80 points with 9 races left, the former driver was adamant that you cannot rule out Ferrari. The team still has a competitive car that can challenge Red Bull.

"As long as the title is mathematically possible for you, Ferrari cannot be written off. But the basis is that they correct their mistakes. Technically, they are at a very high level. But one thing must not be forgotten: the driver Verstappen and the Red Bull team are currently on the same pedestal. It just works for them."

Hans did, however, caution that Red Bull is a well-oiled machine right now, and it would be hard to beat the team.

"You are incredibly well organized. It starts with Helmut Marko and ends with the driver pairing Verstappen and Sergio Pérez. Everything fits, they harmonize incredibly well. You really have to compliment them."

Max Verstappen has an 80-point advantage over Charles Leclerc in the championship. It will be interesting to see if there is a fightback coming from Ferrari in the second half of the season.