Verstappen wins France GP, extending Formula 1 lead

Max Verstappen put more distance between himself and his main competitor, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, in the battle for the Formula 1 world title. It was the second straight French Grand Prix victory for Verstappen, the Dutch reigning world champion for Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton took second place ahead of his Mercedes teammate, George Russell.

Leclerc, who started from pole position, crashed out of the lead on lap eighteen, putting an early end to his race. Leclerc’s car ended up in the tires on the side of the track. The 24-year-old from Monaco was able to exit his car with no major problems. Verstappen, who had started the race in second, had just gone into the pits for new tires and had dropped back to seventh.

Other drivers went into the pits after Leclerc's crash, when the safety car was on the track. Then Verstappen took the lead for the first time in the race.

Verstappen is now 63 points ahead of Leclerc in the World Cup position. The lead was 38 points at the start of the day, with Leclerc having won the previous race in Austria two weeks ago.