Ferrari driver Leclerc looked to have the potential to beat Perez and possibly even threaten eventual pole winner Verstappen for the top spot, but surprisingly climbed out of his SF-23 ahead of the second and final runs.
This, he and Ferrari claimed, was a tactic to save a set of brand-new soft tyres to use at the start of Sunday's race which they hope will provide more grip off the line and then also have better tyre degradation across the opening stint, a factor Ferrari struggled with in 2022.
