The Monegasque driver was in the lead from the start of the Paul Ricard and, with better tire degradation than his main rival Max Verstappen, seemed perfectly in control.
However, an error on lap 18 threw him into the safety barrier – forcing him out on the spot and opening the door for Verstappen to secure a win that extended his championship lead even further.
Leclerc’s mistake in France comes after he also lost valuable points at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, when he damaged his car after crashing at the Variante Alta chicane while chasing of second place.
Then he was able to take the car back to the pits for repairs before eventually recovering to finish sixth.
Both high-profile incidents cost Leclerc valuable points in the Championship, and now leave him in need of a dramatic change of fortune if he is to properly fight Verstappen for the remainder of the campaign.
But team boss Mattia Binotto dismissed any suggestion that Leclerc had a propensity for making mistakes.
“I think it’s a bit of an unfair judgment,” he said. “I think he was definitely driving on the limit. There are things that can happen when you drive on the limit.
“Why did it happen, [we will see if] if there is something else, we take our time with him to discuss, and to judge, but for the moment there is no reason to reproach him for it.
“I’m sure he will learn. We have always seen that Charles reacts very strongly and well when he makes mistakes. And I’m pretty sure he’ll be back in Hungary stronger and hungry.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, crashes at Le Beausset
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
Binotto believes that, based on the speed Ferrari had shown over the weekend, combined with Leclerc’s better tire degradation early on, victory was there for the taking.
“It was a good weekend in terms of pace, and the car felt very competitive. I think it’s Carlos [Sainz] race also showed it.
“Charles got the pole. He was leading the race. I think we had an advantage over Red Bull in terms of tire degradation on lap 15 and then Max had to stop.
“We could have extended the stint and we were extending the stint, watching the moment Max stopped as he started to suffer from tire degradation.
“Charles was gaining two or three tenths per lap on him, proving once again that our car is great and smooth with tire management.
Rather than dwell on Paul Ricard’s disappointment, Binotto says the focus is now on fighting back in style in Hungary.
“I think we come out of here, Le Castellet, with total confidence in our package, in the ability of our drivers and in our speed.
“Fortunately, in a week we will have Hungary. It is important for us to turn the page, to look to the future. Hungary will again be very hot there and it will again be a matter of tire management, tire degradation and overheating, very similar to Le Castellet.
“So I will say that there are many reasons why we have to smile and be positive, because our goal going into Hungary should not be a win, but a 1-2.”
The Monegasque driver was in the lead from the start of the Paul Ricard and, with better tire degradation than his main rival Max Verstappen, seemed perfectly in control.
However, an error on lap 18 threw him into the safety barrier – forcing him out on the spot and opening the door for Verstappen to secure a win that extended his championship lead even further.
Leclerc’s mistake in France comes after he also lost valuable points at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, when he damaged his car after crashing at the Variante Alta chicane while chasing of second place.
Then he was able to take the car back to the pits for repairs before eventually recovering to finish sixth.
Both high-profile incidents cost Leclerc valuable points in the Championship, and now leave him in need of a dramatic change of fortune if he is to properly fight Verstappen for the remainder of the campaign.
But team boss Mattia Binotto dismissed any suggestion that Leclerc had a propensity for making mistakes.
“I think it’s a bit of an unfair judgment,” he said. “I think he was definitely driving on the limit. There are things that can happen when you drive on the limit.
“Why did it happen, [we will see if] if there is something else, we take our time with him to discuss, and to judge, but for the moment there is no reason to reproach him for it.
“I’m sure he will learn. We have always seen that Charles reacts very strongly and well when he makes mistakes. And I’m pretty sure he’ll be back in Hungary stronger and hungry.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, crashes at Le Beausset
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
Binotto believes that, based on the speed Ferrari had shown over the weekend, combined with Leclerc’s better tire degradation early on, victory was there for the taking.
“It was a good weekend in terms of pace, and the car felt very competitive. I think it’s Carlos [Sainz] race also showed it.
“Charles got the pole. He was leading the race. I think we had an advantage over Red Bull in terms of tire degradation on lap 15 and then Max had to stop.
“We could have extended the stint and we were extending the stint, watching the moment Max stopped as he started to suffer from tire degradation.
“Charles was gaining two or three tenths per lap on him, proving once again that our car is great and smooth with tire management.
Rather than dwell on Paul Ricard’s disappointment, Binotto says the focus is now on fighting back in style in Hungary.
“I think we come out of here, Le Castellet, with total confidence in our package, in the ability of our drivers and in our speed.
“Fortunately, in a week we will have Hungary. It is important for us to turn the page, to look to the future. Hungary will again be very hot there and it will again be a matter of tire management, tire degradation and overheating, very similar to Le Castellet.
“So I will say that there are many reasons why we have to smile and be positive, because our goal going into Hungary should not be a win, but a 1-2.”