Leclerc had a stable first stint on the medium tyre regardless of lacking a entrance wing endplate after a first-corner conflict with Sergio Perez.
He pitted for hards simply a few laps earlier than Kevin Magnussen’s crash introduced out the crimson flag.
Throughout the break Ferrari changed his broken entrance wing however slightly than change to medium tyres for the restarted second half of the race, as some rivals did, the group caught with the hards.
Nonetheless, Leclerc couldn’t get the tyres in the correct window, and he was shortly handed for second by Lewis Hamilton – who did go for mediums – earlier than falling again.
Leclerc and team-mate Carlos Sainz ultimately completed third and fourth, having certified on the entrance row.
Pink Bull believed that Leclerc would choose mediums throughout the crimson flag break, which may have given him an opportunity to leap poleman Max Verstappen, who additionally stored his hards, on the restart.
“I used to be satisfied they have been going to take a set of mediums as a result of it’s value about 5 metres off the startline,” stated Christian Horner.
“So I used to be very shocked that they went with the exhausting tyre. We noticed the medium on Hamilton, and it was okay in the long run.”
Photograph by: Ferrari
Frederic Vasseur, Group Principal and Common Supervisor, Scuderia Ferrari
Vasseur stated the race had appeared good for Leclerc initially, regardless of the compromised entrance wing.
“My feeling from the pit wall is that the primary stint was okay,” stated the Frenchman. “We have been three or four-tenths from Max, with the harm on the automotive, it was I believe nearly a superb stint.
“However with the exhausting, we have been by no means in a position to restart the tyres, and we have been at all times on the shy aspect, and it did not work in any respect.”
Requested if mediums had been an possibility, he stated: “Truthfully not, as a result of suppose we needed to restart for 35 laps or one thing like this. And we weren’t anticipating to have the ability to do 35 laps.
“And I believe Max additionally with the medium. Most likely the tyre administration, as a result of administration of the engine and the brakes and so forth, helped [others]. However it was formidable. And the set of medium that we had was a scrubbed one.”
Vasseur denied that it was irritating that after once more the group couldn’t again up its qualifying kind with good race tempo.
“Irritating shouldn’t be the correct phrase. When you find yourself third and fourth, I do not wish to say that it is a unhealthy race.
“We had a foul stint on the finish, that is clear, it is the primary situation as we speak. However the first a part of the race went very nicely.
“I believe that we’re doing a step for some time now, we did the 4 pole positions out of the final six races. It is a step ahead for us and we have now to be in all probability bit extra constant on the race or a minimum of to don’t have any delta between these stints as a result of it is fairly often the place we’re shedding the place.”
Vasseur didn’t blame Perez for the first-corner contact with Leclerc.
“I believe that the difficulty is that when you could have this case on the beginning and you’re three on the identical line in Flip 1, I believe it is nearly the identical consequence,” he stated.
“They requested me if it was a sandwich, and I advised them that it was extra a panini for us!
“On the finish when you’re three like this you possibly can’t blame Checo to shut, and Max cannot go on the kerb, and Charles was within the center.”