"If I keep doing mistakes I deserve to not win" - Leclerc

Charles Leclerc admits it was solely his mistake that led to him crashing out of the French Grand Prix, and he believes his errors could cost him the world championship.

The Ferrari driver held off Max Verstappen during a crucial first stint, ensuring the championship leader’s tires started to overheat and he was forced to make an earlier pit stop.

Then, without the pressure of Verstappen behind him, Leclerc spun off at the high-speed Turn 11 and buried the most of his car in the barrier, saying he can’t afford such incidents if he wants to win the title.

“A mistake, a mistake,” Leclerc said. “I've been saying I think I'm performing at my highest level in my career but if I keep doing those mistakes then it's pointless to perform at a very high level. I'm losing too many points.

“Seven in Imola, 25 here because we probably were the strongest car on track today so if we lose the Championship by 32 points at the end of the season I will know where they are coming from. And it is unacceptable, I just need to get on top of those things.”

And Leclerc says he doesn’t think there are any outside factors he can blame for the error that opened the door for Verstappen to win and extend his championship lead to 63 points.

“I don’t know, technically we need to check. I think it was just a mistake. Tried to take too much around the outside and probably put a wheel somewhere dirty. It’s my fault and if I keep doing mistakes like this then I deserve to not win the championship.

“The level is very high this year, I’ve been performing at a high level, but if I keep doing these mistakes then it’s pointless to be at a high level.”