Ferrari will be kicking themselves, not for the first time this season, after another chance of a win melted away in the blistering heat of the French Riviera. But the reality is after two wins in the first three races, Leclerc was 46 points ahead of Verstappen. That is now a 63-point deficit, a 109-point swing, in nine races. But Mercedes will know they are a long way off challenging for race victories and titles. After qualy, Hamilton said: ‘We were hoping to be a lot closer than we are. Asked about another 100 starts, Hamilton added: ‘That is a lot of races. Verstappen seems impervious to high-profile mistakes like Leclerc’s and he is just ultra-consistent. Verstappen said after the race: ‘We have still a lot of races to go and there will be a few tough races for us as well.

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