Sorry Lew.. This One's On Us

Mercedes issued a grovelling apology to Lewis Hamilton after two strategy mistakes allowed Red Bull rival Max Verstappen to win the French Grand Prix.

Verstappen passed Hamilton on the penultimate lap to take a pulsating race at Circuit Paul Ricard and extend his championship lead to 12 points.

Hamilton should have triumphed. The seven-time world champ assumed control after pole-sitter Verstappen ran off the track at the opening corner. But the Dutchman was back in the lead on lap 20 when he stopped before Hamilton, using his fresher tyres to wipe out a 3.2-second deficit.

Verstappen and Hamilton then set a relentless pace making a second change of tyres inevitable. Frustrated to have fallen behind, Hamilton urged the Mercedes pit wall to make sure he performed the undercut next time round. But Mercedes were caught napping when Red Bull blinked first.