F1 LIVE: Charles Leclerc believes track limits will again be ‘tricky’ to adhere to at French GP

LIVE – Updated at 14:40

Charles Leclerc reignited his world championship hopes by racing to victory at the Austrian Grand Prix last week as team-mate Carlos Sainz emerged unscathed from his Ferrari after it caught fire. Leclerc passed championship leader Max Verstappen three times to claim his first triumph since he took the chequered flag in Australia on April 10. Verstappen finished second after Sainz’s engine expired with 14 laps remaining.

Sainz broke down at the uphill Turn 4 but moments later later his car dramatically caught alight. With Sainz still in his cockpit and his car rolling downhill, the Spaniard had to battle gravity as he unstrapped his seatbelts and attempted to leap from his flaming machine.

The television cameras cut away from the flashpoint, but seconds later, Sainz was seen walking away from his wreckage, with the flames extinguished by marshals. Sainz’s retirement allowed Lewis Hamilton to take third with Mercedes team-mate George Russell fourth despite an opening-lap collision with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.

At the half-way mark of the 2022 season, Verstappen has a 38-point lead from Leclerc in second, while Perez - who retired from last Sunday’s race - is third a further 19 points back. The next race is this weekend of 22-24 July at Circuit Paul Ricard at the French Grand Prix.

Follow all the build-up to this weekend’s French Grand Prix:

On fire in Austria: “I wasn’t inhaling any smoke. I felt like I was safe in the moment but as soon as I felt burned, I left very quickly. Everything was a bit slow. My overalls were itching a bit...”

On this weekend: “This year we are quick everywhere, at every track. At Red Bull Ring we had the upper hand in the race. I hope it’s like this throughout the year