Internal battle and broken agreements: why Leclerc – Sainz duel escalated into accusations
Today at 11:58 AM
The two have been clashing for three seasons now. Let's be honest: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz can no longer stand each other. Or rather, since the car began to show real competitiveness in the start of the 2022 Formula 1 season, whenever they have been close on track, especially on Carlos Sainz's part, it must be said, there have been behaviors seemingly intended to annoy the other. We have witnessed this on several occasions, including this season.
In 2024, with Carlos Sainz leaving the Maranello team even before the debut race, things have intensified. The Spaniard has focused more on himself than on the team, which might be justified, but when Charles Leclerc openly states that his teammate does not respect agreements, it raises eyebrows.
The Las Vegas race crowned Max Verstappen as a four-time Formula 1 world champion and it was only a matter of time, so congratulations to him. Mercedes did well, with a fantastic one-two finish, thanks to George Russell's excellent driving in the first stint and Lewis Hamilton's incredible comeback, showing he's still hungry, clearly. The McLarens performed poorly but managed to minimize the damage, maintaining a 24-point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship.
Back to Ferrari: Charles Leclerc accuses Carlos Sainz of not being a team player. After the second stop, the Monegasque emerged ahead of his Maranello teammate but with cold tires. At that point, his Ferrari race engineer Bryan Bozzi reassured him, saying: "Carlos has been told not to pressure you, so manage the tire warm-up calmly." Done and dusted? Not at all. Carlos Sainz overtook Charles Leclerc, and the Monegasque lost his cool: "Maybe you should tell him in Spanish." A remark implying that the Spaniard either doesn't understand or doesn't want to understand.
Ferrari's number 16 exploded after the race: "I did my job, but being respectful always screws me over! It's not just about kindness; it's about respect. I need to stay quiet, I know, but the same thing keeps happening." Indeed, Caros Sainz, as often happens, failed to honor pre- or mid-race agreements. For the Monegasque, this is a source of significant frustration, which he struggles to hide in post-race interviews.
"I tried to be aggressive, and I don't regret it, even though the first stint made me lose a lot of time," Charles Leclerc explained, referring to his battle with George Russell in the early laps. "On hard tires, we were among the fastest, but on mediums, I struggled a lot—I had no warning before the front tires gave out."
Then, on the Carlos Sainz issue: "Regarding Carlos, I prefer not to go into detail. I'm not satisfied because some agreed-upon things were not respected. It's fine, though: for the team, nothing changes in the Constructors' Championship since we finished third and fourth. For the Drivers' Championship, I'm a bit disappointed considering the battle with Lando Norris. Now I need to focus on myself, trying to do my best, especially in qualifying, and maximize every opportunity from here on." – he pointed out.
Carlos Sainz is enjoying his eighth podium of the season. The Spaniard knows very well that he has his last chances to achieve significant results in F1 before moving to Williams, and who knows what the future holds for his career. Carlos is already not particularly inclined to team agreements with Leclerc—this can be said plainly—and since he was not confirmed by Ferrari, he has had even more reason to act on his own. That said, he prefers not to discuss it too much with the media.
"I have clear agreements with the team and with Charles, and I prefer not to fuel public controversies," Carlos Sainz explained. "We'll discuss internally what happened without needing clarifications in front of the media. I don't use the radio to complain, nor do I talk about these matters to the press—it's not my style, and I don't think it's appropriate. I believe it's more useful to address everything privately, as should be done in a team."
The Spanish driver shared his perspective on the missed pit stop when he cut across the pit lane entry because, apparently, the mechanics were not ready for the stop he had specifically requested several laps earlier: "I don't intend to blame anyone. I want to analyze and clarify what happened. I had asked to pit two laps earlier, knowing that Charles was faster and that I could have helped him, but with Lewis Hamilton behind, the situation was complicated. Furthermore, the graining made it difficult to continue, which is why I insisted on stopping. Despite everything, we stayed out, leading to confusion at the pit lane entry. My pace dropped after that. I prefer to discuss it internally without fueling public controversies."
In short, this Carlos Sainz podium will be followed by many post-race clarifications. Beyond all that, Ferrari is collecting less than hoped for in the fight against McLaren, and the gap is now 24 points, with two races and a Sprint Race remaining in the championship. Now it's off to Qatar, where the MCL38 is expected to have the advantage. Probably, Ferrari's race management was not optimal, as it could have achieved more. Is the championship over? Absolutely not, but everyone will need to row in the same direction to have a better chance of winning. So, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc need to get along, even if only for show.
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