Leclerc calls German GP runoff surface "unacceptable" after crash

But Leclerc admitted that he was "completely at fault" for the crash after sliding off on the approach to the penultimate corner, skating across the soaking wet runoff and into the barriers.

Leclerc had the chance to take over the lead of the race following Lewis Hamilton's pitstop just before the incident - and the Mercedes driver damaged his front wing at the same place shortly afterwards - but instead, Leclerc retired following his crash.

After the race, Leclerc hit out at the conditions of the track, following similar offs at the same corners for Hamilton and later Renault's Nico Hulkenberg.

"I'm disappointed with myself today," Leclerc said to Scandinavian broadcaster Viaplay.

"It's not a huge mistake. It's a small mistake, I've done a lot bigger mistakes during the season.

"It doesn't make anything better for my mistake but, first of all, I think the Tarmac in the last two corners - it's just unacceptable we have that on a Formula 1 track when it's wet.

"We can't have so much low-grip. We've seen other drivers [go off], maybe I was the only one on slicks but I was at 60kph and had absolutely no grip. There's something there.

"But overall that does not forgive my mistake. I'm completely at fault today and it's a huge shame. I'm very sorry for the fans and the team."

While Leclerc had climbed from 10th on the grid and into victory contention, team-mate Sebastian Vettel rose from last on the grid to take second at the flag.

"It was a long race, at one stage it felt never-ending," Vettel told the cameras in parc ferme.

"[It was] a lot of fun, [and] very tough with the conditions, tough to read what was the smartest move - I am just happy."

The four-time world champion struggled to make up ground in the middle phase of the race, after he had switched to intermediates following a rise into the top 10 within the first six laps.

"It took a while I don't think there was a problem but at the beginning, with the intermediates, I couldn't get the hang of it," Vettel explained.

"But eventually I got going, so it's good the afternoon took so long "I stayed tidy for most of the race. It was a long one. I don't know if I can recap the whole race now.

"Congrats to [race winner] Max. He drove superb. For us, it was just going and getting the next car, get the next car, get the next car.

"Before the last safety [car, caused by Valtteri Bottas crashing at Turn 1] I realised I was quite a bit quicker and happy to pass people.

"I was a little faster and could time [overtaking] right.

"I saw a lot of people being cautious into the first corner and that's why I was giving it everything to get into DRS range and make the move down the back straight."