Under the safety car during Saturday's sprint, the Ferrari driver appeared to be raising the alarm about a cut to the power unit, and was publicly revealed as such on television with an on-screen graphic.
Asked about his comments regarding a 'cut' during the official post-sprint press conference, Leclerc clarified that it he was actually talking about a cat running across the path of the safety car.
The feline interloper caused the safety car to briefly put on the brakes, with Leclerc - then leading the race - reporting it over the radio.
Asked if the misidentified cut was going to be a recurring problem, Leclerc replied: "Absolutely not. I said a cat, which is different!
"There was a cat in the middle of the road and the safety car had to stop, but I think I was probably the only one who saw that.
"But yeah, out of Turn 1 there was a cat and the safety car braked. It wasn't too bad, but I felt like I had to say it!"
Leclerc explained that Ferrari had made a further step from its performance at the Australian Grand Prix, which he stated earlier in the weekend had offered the team with a breakthrough in set-up.
Source: Autosport