Leclerc, que started in eighth place, completed 27 laps with a set of medium tires before switching to hard tires and fiercely defending to hold off Lando Norris’ McLaren.
The Monaco driver ended up being overtaken by his teammate, Carlos Sainz, who finished third behind the Red Bull duo, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Despite being voted Driver of the Day, Leclerc dropped to third place in the Formula 1 driver standings, with 59 points, four more than his teammate Sainz. Verstappen leads the championship with 77 points, followed by Perez with 64.
«We executed an impressive strategy, managed our time well, and had a great pace, but it’s simply not enough when you start in eighth,» Leclerc told Sky Sports.
«Normally, I don’t need to focus on qualifying days in my career, because it’s usually one of my strengths. But in Australia and here, I’ve been struggling, so I will focus on that.
«But usually, when I work on something, I improve quite quickly, so I’m confident,» he insisted.
Team boss Frederic Vasseur praised Ferrari for recovering from their disappointing performance in the practice sessions and qualifying.
«We had a strong Sunday with a good strategy and managed to recover. If we want to have a better weekend, we need to improve on Saturdays,» Vasseur added.
«We made progress with the car during the winter, even in the last part of last year. Everyone in the team is much more confident and calm, and we are doing a good job together,» the Frenchman stated.
Sainz once again delivered for Ferrari, securing his third podium in three races this season, after his victory in the Australian Grand Prix.
El español, que se perdió el Gran Premio de Arabia Saudita debido a una cirugía de apéndice, podría perder su lugar en el equipo ante el siete veces campeón mundial de Fórmula 1, Lewis Hamilton, en 2025.
«Desafortunadamente, no tengo ni idea de dónde estaré el próximo año. Es cierto que estamos en negociaciones con varios equipos», dijo Sainz.
«Solo necesito mantenerme enfocado en lo que estoy haciendo y demostrar a mí mismo y a todos que puedo maximizar el potencial de un coche rápido.
«Yo cumplo, ya sabes. Ha sido un comienzo fuerte… Los equipos saben que estoy disponible. Veremos qué sucede», concluyó Sainz. (Reportaje de Aadi Nair)
