Leclerc 'tried to be clever' when defending from Verstappen in F1's Bahrain GP

Leclerc went head-to-head with Verstappen after the first round of pit stops at Sakhir after Red Bull called its driver in on Lap 15 to perform the undercut.

Red Bull’s superior straight-line speed allowed Verstappen to get ahead into Turn 1 but Leclerc used the second DRS zone to get back ahead.

The exact same moves occurred on the following lap with Leclerc retaining the lead on Lap 18. 

• Charles Leclerc heads Ferrari 1-2 as Max Verstappen retires in F1 Bahrain GP
• F1 Bahrain Grand Prix: Full results

Verstappen then tried a late lunge into Turn 1 on the subsequent lap but Leclerc stayed ahead, eventually going on to win the race ahead of Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz.

Reflecting on the battle with Verstappen, Leclerc explained how he ensured he had DRS for the run to Turn 4 to regain the lead of the grand prix.

"I was trying to be as clever as possible," explained Leclerc. "Using the DRS as much as possible so I was trying to brake early in Turn 1 just to be behind him at the DRS detection and twice it worked out.

"I took back my first position and I'm just incredibly happy that we made it work."

Leclerc ended Ferrari's win drought with it not standing on the top step since the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix with Sebastian Vettel.

The Monegasque praised the team for doing "an incredible job" after a couple of difficult years for the Italian manufacturer. 

"The last two years have been incredibly difficult for the team and we knew this was going to be a big opportunity for the team and the guys have done such an incredible job building this amazing car," Leclerc added. "For now, we’re starting in the best way possible with pole position, victory, fastest lap and a 1-2 today with Carlos [Sainz]. We couldn't hope for better.

"Thank you to all the guys that kept supporting us in the last two years, it hasn't been easy but it's incredible to be back at the top."