Sainz battle was 'on the limit' for Leclerc

Charles Leclerc has claimed that his battle with teammate Carlos Sainz was "on the limit" for the final podium spot in the Italian Grand Prix.

The pair duelled for third in the last five laps after Sainz was passed by Sergio Perez for second place, with Ferrari giving both the go-ahead to race but told them "no risks."

Leclerc tried several times to make a move stick around the outside of Turn 1, with his final attempt nearly resulting in contact at the first chicane on the last lap after a huge lock-up.

The Monegasque explained why it was a hard-fought battle when speaking to media, including RacingNews365: "It was on the limits. I was on the limit, Carlos was on the limit, this is normal.

"I think it means a lot to both of us to be on the podium in front of the Tifosi.

"So we gave it [our] all, but we also know how important it is for the Tifosi to have one red car - whoever it is - on the on the podium."

Leclerc: Most enjoyable race of the season

Leclerc believes the close racing between the top three made it one of the better races in the season for him, after Ferrari's troubles with managing tyre degradation.

"It's probably the most enjoyable race of the season, inside the helmet at least," said Leclerc.

"I am sure that on the pit wall they wouldn't give the same answer and the Tifosi maybe didn't enjoy as much as we did with Carlos. But this is exactly what racing show should be.

"In the past with Max I've had similar fights, with Checo today was on the limit too, and with Carlos was on the limit to whether it was defending or attacking. That made it really enjoyable inside the car.

"At the end, we've got the maximum results we could have done for the team."