Leclerc converted his pole position into a lead at the first corner and looked to have the race under control from the first stint, building a six-second lead before Piastri pitted on lap 15.

Leclerc followed him a lap later and in theory should have had enough of a lead to hold the lead until the end.

Leclerc said he and Ferrari had not chosen the right set-up for the hard tyre because he had not done a race simulation due to problems during practice on Friday and therefore had problems after his pit stop.

Piastri closed up on the Ferrari, took his chance on fresh tyres and made a brave dive down the inside of Turn 1 on lap 20 to take the lead.

“They had a lower downforce package and we had a bit more downforce, but on the straights they were flying and that’s probably where we lost the race,” said Leclerc.

“When he passed me, I wasn’t too worried. I thought I would stay with him and pass him again once the tyres were warmed up. But that opportunity never arose again. They were too fast on the straights. It was a small mistake, but it hurts.”

It was a great move and seemed to catch Leclerc off guard somewhat, telling Piastri in the green room before the podium that he had braked in his normal place and expected the McLaren to fly past the apex.

Although Piastri was now in the lead, Leclerc was not done yet. He stayed close to the McLaren, with Perez close behind, trying to find a gap.

The three of them drove together for many laps, while Ferrari urged Leclerc on the radio to continue.

On a couple of occasions Leclerc got close enough to make an attempt at Turn 1, but Piastri always covered the inside line and had just enough to keep the Ferrari at bay with an aggressive but good defence.

In the final laps Leclerc had problems with his rear tyres and fell back from Piastri. The Australian had now won the race.

Leclerc now had to keep Perez and Sainz behind him. The drivers drove alone for most of the race, but in the final stages they closed up the top three, with Piastri keeping his pace to keep Leclerc behind him.

The dramatic highlight came when Perez made an overtake on Leclerc at the start of lap 50, with two laps to go.

Leclerc held him back into turn one and Sainz was able to pass the Red Bull before turn two.

Perez got through the corner better and started to drive alongside the Ferrari on the straight.

The Red Bull had its front wheel in the back of Sainz and the two touched, spinning and hitting the wall, putting them both out of the race.

The incident dropped George Russell’s Mercedes to third. The Briton had a quiet first stint but started to gain ground in the second stint, overtaking Verstappen and Norris to move up to fifth before Sainz and Perez crashed.