Race recap: Charles third, Carlos hit and has to retire

Cloudy, dry track. Temperature:air 29°, track 33°

Start. At the start, watched by a record crowd (440,000 over the weekend) Carlos loses the lead to Max Verstappen and then, at the first corner, he is hit by George Russell. He pits and has to retire with a water leak due to the collision. Charles moves up from 12^th to ninth.

Lap 4. Charles passes Pierre Gasly for eighth place.

Lap 5. Leclerc next passes Lando Norris for seventh.

Lap 11. Charles catches Sebastian Vettel and gets by on the next lap.

Lap 14. Leclerc now deals with Lance Stroll and because Lewis Hamilton and George Russell pit, he moves up to third place.

Lap 15. Sergio Perez is next to pit, so that Charles is second.

Lap 17. Valtteri Bottas stops on track. Safety Car. 

Lap 18. Charles pits for Hard tyres and rejoins in fourth place, right behind Perez. Verstappen leads from Hamilton, Perez and Leclerc.

Lap 22. The race resumes but immediately there’s another Safety Car after Alonso and Stroll collide.

Lap 29. Charles tries to pass Perez at the end of the straight but overshoots. He gets right next time round. Leclerc is third!

Lap 35. Hamilton pits, Leclerc is second.

Lap 36. Verstappen has a long stop for Medium tyres and so, Leclerc who also stops, moves ahead of him.

Lap 42. Vettel pits and Charles moves up to third.

Lap 44. Verstappen passes Charles and also Hamilton.

Finish. Charles is on the podium with a classy performance, a gritty drive from 12^th to third. The result means Leclerc is back in second place in the championship, while the Constructors’ title has gone to Red Bull.