Leclerc had looked set to control after leading early from pole and had withstood a Verstappen onslaught before his race and his championship bid – took a huge turn on the 18th lap, thanks to a costly un-enforced error.
The Monegasque driver lost control of his Ferrari car at Turn 11 and spun into the barriers, prompting gasps from a sell-out crowd and a huge outcry of emotion from Leclerc on team radio.
That propelled Verstappen into the lead, one he capitalized on with a comfortable victory to extend his championship advantage over LECLERC to 63 points.
