Having gone three abreast with Alpine’s Fernando Alonso into Turn 1 at th💫e start of Sunday’s race, the pair ran wide at the corner before the front wing on Leclerc’s Ferrari clipped Gasly’s rear-left tyre on the run to Turn 3. 

The slight contact caused Gasly to suffer a puncture and the Frenchman went onto to ♌tag both Antonio Giovinazzi’s Alfa Romeo and Nichol💮as Latifi’s Williams in the Turn 3 braking zone as he was swallowed up by the pack.

Gasly was forced to retire at the end of the first tour with suspension damage on his AlphaTauri, while Leclerc also had to make an early stop to service his front wing, resulting in him dropping to💝 17th. 

F1 drivers were told at the start of the season that ꦓthe FIA would be taking a stricter approach to first lap incidents this year, but Leclerౠc’s collision with Gasly and resulting melee at Turn 3 was not investigated. 

Asked whether the incident was looked at, Masi replied: “Yes it was looked at as part of the lead u🃏p of the Turn 3 incident that was noted on the screen.

“It was deemed one of those that, being a first-𝄹lap type matter, and considering the whole situation, it was noted that no further investigation was necessary.”

Leclerc believes both driv෴ers were simply caught out due to moving at exactly the same moment when the contact occ༺urred. 

“I was on the left of Pierre, I think he was trying to take the slipstream of the guys that were s♈lightly to hisℱ left and went to the left at the same time that I was trying to get behind him,” the Monegasque explained. 

“We just got surprised, both of us and we🍨 had contact. It was very small contact that had very big consequences for both of us.”

Giving his version 🌼of events, a frustrated Gasly insisted thไere was not much he could have done to avoid the unfortunate coming together.

“There was contact and I completely punctured the whole rear,” he said. “I ended up on three wh🔯eels or even two wheels and some point, so definitely ꩲnot what we wanted and a big shame. 

“I didn’t really see the replays, not yet, but, in the end, it’s not going to change what happened. I was in tღhe middle of the straight when this happened, so I don’t think there was a lot I could do, and it’s a shame.”

Later in the race, Leclerc nicked the front wing on Kimi Raikkonen’s A🔴lfa Romeo moments after overtaking the Finn on🧔 the run to Turn 4 but Masi confirmed the incident “wasn’t looked at”. 

Leclerc also survived ano𝕴ther close call👍 with Alonso as swept by at the same corner during his charge through the field to P7.