Polesitter Leclerc was jumped by the faster-starting Lando Norris, who dived up the within into Flip 1. He then misplaced out to Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen through the opening stint.
Ferrari opted to maintain the Monegasque out on his medium tyres till lap 23 of 56, when he made his sole pitstop for exhausting tyres. Leclerc was the one finisher to run a one-stop technique.
However this led to his tempo dropping off considerably within the closing laps to depart the group to ask Leclerc to fall behind team-mate Carlos Sainz, who eventually finished 10 seconds ahead. He saved slipping again to sixth.
Leclerc subsequently reckons Ferrari had “one thing mistaken in our numbers”.
He stated: “Right away from the start of the race after we thought the one-stop and the two-stops had been extraordinarily shut collectively.
“After 12, 13 laps, I noticed the numbers on the sprint. They had been fairly good for the one-stop, not less than by way of degradation.
“I wasn’t shedding that a lot time laps after laps. And contemplating our numbers, this was the proper factor to do.
“So, I went for the one cease and sadly this was positively the mistaken factor to do.
“And for some cause, there was one thing mistaken in our numbers immediately, as a result of we had been far off the perfect race technique.”
Picture by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing RB19, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14, the remainder of the sector away for the beginning
Requested why it had fallen aside, Leclerc reckoned “there was one thing off”. He continued: “To be sincere, I haven’t got the reply but as a result of it was fairly far off the two-stops.
“We completed behind Carlos by 10 seconds, which is an effective comparability, as a result of we have each the identical automobile.
“There was one thing off.”
Nevertheless, Leclerc’s sixth place is under serious threat as he’s being investigated by the stewards for a non-compliant plank following random post-race checks. He, together with runner-up Lewis Hamilton, dangers disqualification.
The planks on the vehicles of race winner Max Verstappen and third-placed Lando Norris had been additionally assessed and handed scrutineering.
The dash race format, which imposes parc ferme laws after one apply session, closely restricts groups of their capacity to good suspension settings and journey heights.
This comes amid driver complaints over the Circuit of The Americas being considerably bumpier than final 12 months regardless of Turns 12 and 14-16 having been resurfaced.