After starting the race in 14th, a place behind Verstappen who had also taken a grid penalty for taking new engine parts, Leclerc was only able to finish sixth at Spa as his rival surged to victory.
While he never had the pace to challenge Verstappen, Leclerc was hampered by an enforced first-lap pit stop caused by a visor tear-off becoming stuck in his helmet, before a late Ferrari strategy call cost him more points.
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Having battled up to fifth, Leclerc came in for a late pit stop as Ferrari sought to steal the point for the fastest lap of the race from Verstappen, but he initially lost his position to Fernando Alonso, and had to pass the Alpine on the final lap to retake it.
However, it was all in vain as he was handed a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane and consequently moved back below Alonso to sixth, leaving him 98 points adrift of Verstappen, and now also behind the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez.
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The best of the action from a dramatic Belgian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen won from 14th on the grid
“After the start I was quite hopeful, then we had the tear-off in the brake so we had to stop and start everything again,” said Leclerc.
“Then I knew it was going to be a difficult race from that moment onward.
“The pitlane is not bad luck, it’s just my fault – it’s a mistake and that’s it. on the other hand, we were just not quick enough which is the problem more than anything. We need to work on that.”
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While it looked like a Leclerc vs Verstappen battle was to ensue for the world championship this season, strategy mistakes together with driver errors have made it look increasingly improbable Ferrari can make any dent in Red Bull’s advantage.
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“It starts to look very difficult, especially with the pace [Red Bull] have shown this weekend. But I will get my head down, try to focus race by race and give it my best,” Leclerc added.
“Again, it starts to look very difficult [in terms of still being in the championship fight], but I will try my best.”