Vettel admits he sacrificed his race for Leclerc's win

The German lined up second in an all Ferrari front row and regained second place from Hamilton after running wide at turn one.

Soon it was obvious that Vettel was unable to manage his tyres and wouldn't be able to go to the end after his pit stop, so heplayed the team game and held up Lewis Hamilton for a crucial few laps to allow Leclerc to build a defendable gap.

Vettel said after the race: "I was struggling to feel the grip, to stay on top of the tyres, I was sliding too much. It was quite a tough race for me.

"And obviously from that point where we came in quite early it was clear that we won't be there until the end. 

"After the first couple of laps I felt I was not able to look after the tyres the way I would like, and from that point onwards I was just there to try and help the team, which I did."

Vettel added that he knew it was crucial for him to hold off the charging Hamilton, adding: "I couldn't hold him off for a very long time. I tried to obviously make him lose time in order to give Charles a cushion, and in the end it was just enough, so it did the job.

"I couldn't stay in range to look after myself, and I was sort of playing a road block to make sure that Charles was gaining some time."