Starting on the front row of t𒁏he grid, Leclerc looked to overtake 🧸Verstappen into Turn 1.

On the approach to the first corner💙, 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 ha🍰ve done exactly the same if I was in his position,” Leclerc said. “It’s on the limit but as I’ve always said in the pa✅st that’s the way I like to fight. 

“Today didn’t go m𝄹y way but that’s fine. That’s part of racing but I am happy with it.”

The aforementioned battle with Verstappen compromised Leclerc, a♊llowing Lewis Hamilton to g😼ain the position on Lap 1 and move into second.

“It wa🅰s nice,” Leclerc added. “I had 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 lost 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 ไme to keep going without colliding with Lewis so I just lifted off. 

“It was very difficult from that moment onwards be🅺cause we lost quite a bit in the first lap, then we didn’t have the DRS, then I was just 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.”