Starting on the front row of the g🃏rid, Leclerc looked to overtake Verstappen into Turn 1.

On the appro🐬ach to the first cornꦯer, Verstappen pushed Leclerc as wide as possible onto the red painted run-off area.

Reflecting on the battle with Verstappen, Leclerc described it as “on the limit”💦 but said it’s “the way I like to fight”.

“To be honest I would have done exacไtly the same if I was in his position,” Leclerc said. “It’s on the limit but as I’ve always said in the past that’s the way I like to fight. 

“Today didn’t go my wa🦋y but that’s fine. That’s part of racing but I am happ💞y with it.”

The aforementioned battle with Verstappen compromised Leclerc, allowing Lewis Hamilton to gain the position on Lap 1 a⛄nd move into second.

“It was nice,” Leclerc added. “I haꦡd a good start then I saw a little gap on the left, very little, I tried to go for it and then it was very tight into Turn 1. 

“I unfortunately l♔ost momentum by fighting Max and Lewis could get alongside me. Then I still tried around the outside of Turn 2 which was quite tricky with cold tyres and then getting to Turn 3 there was no way for me to keep going without colliding with Lewis so I just lifted off. 

“It was very difficult from that moment onwards because we lost quite a bit in the first lap, then we didn’t have the DRS, then I was jus𝔉t doing my own race. 

“Lewis and Max were too strong, especially in the first few laps, then towards the end we were more on the pace of Lewis 🅰but it was too late.”