The close wheel-to-wheel fights throughout last Sunday's British Grand Prix were not aided by greater📖 leniency from the Formula 1 race stewards, who continued to enforce the "let them race" philosophy 🐠as they had done all season, according to race director Michael Masi.

Two weeks on from the three-hour wait for the stewards to decide on a clash between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc꧅ at the Austrian Grand Prix, the duo enjoyed a 25-lap battle at Silverstone that left F1 fans on the edge♛ of their seats.

Fights between Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Va൲ltteri Bottas, and involving Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris also helped make the race one of the most exciting of the season - with no intervention from race control over any on-track moves.

Asked after ♌the race if the sജtewards had taken a more lenient approach to on-track battles to allow more hard racing, FIA-appointed race director Michael Masi stressed there had been no changes.

"The 'let them race' phil🌌osophy has been adopted al🥃l year," Masi said.

"What we saw out there, wiꦜth the nature of this circuit, and the way that it was – yes, there was some whee⭕l-to-wheel action, but it was the same that it has been previously, and it has been judged in exactly the same manner.

"The nature of this venue probably makes it a perceived view that it is more of 'let them race'. But, no, it has been adopted and applied in exactly the same way it has been all year in 💞our view."

🌊Leclerc explained after the race that he felt the incident with Verstappen in Austria had helped clarify what is and is not allowed on-track, prompting a 𝔉change in his own approach at Silverstone.

"I think that Austria was quite an eye-opener for me to understand how faജr we could go and what was accepted. I’m very happy at the end to race like this," Leclerc said.

"I think ever⭕y driver wants to race hard and that’s what we did during most of the race.

"It was very♒, very fun, always borderline, but I think always in the rules and very, very enjoya🃏ble from the car."