The 2 have been clashing for 3 seasons now. Let’s be sincere: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz can now not stand one another. Or slightly, for the reason that automotive started to indicate actual competitiveness within the begin of the 2022 Method 1 season, every time they’ve been shut on monitor, particularly on Carlos Sainz’s half, it should be mentioned, there have been behaviors seemingly meant to harass the opposite. Now we have witnessed this on a number of events, together with this season.
In 2024, with Carlos Sainz leaving the Maranello crew even earlier than the debut race, issues have intensified. The Spaniard has centered extra on himself than on the crew, which may be justified, however when Charles Leclerc brazenly states that his teammate doesn’t respect agreements, it raises eyebrows.
The Las Vegas race topped Max Verstappen as a four-time Method 1 world champion and it was solely a matter of time, so congratulations to him. Mercedes did nicely, with a incredible one-two end, because of George Russell’s wonderful driving within the first stint and Lewis Hamilton’s unbelievable comeback, exhibiting he’s nonetheless hungry, clearly. The McLarens carried out poorly however managed to attenuate the injury, sustaining a 24-point lead over Ferrari within the Constructors’ Championship.
Again to Ferrari: Charles Leclerc accuses Carlos Sainz of not being a crew participant. After the second cease, the Monegasque emerged forward of his Maranello teammate however with chilly tires. At that time, his Ferrari race engineer Bryan Bozzi reassured him, saying: “Carlos has been informed to not stress you, so handle the tire warm-up calmly.” Achieved and dusted? In no way. Carlos Sainz overtook Charles Leclerc, and the Monegasque misplaced his cool: “Possibly you must inform him in Spanish.” A comment implying that the Spaniard both doesn’t perceive or doesn’t wish to perceive.
Ferrari’s quantity 16 exploded after the race: “I did my job, however being respectful all the time screws me over! It’s not nearly kindness; it’s about respect. I want to remain quiet, I do know, however the identical factor retains occurring.” Certainly, Caros Sainz, as typically occurs, didn’t honor pre- or mid-race agreements. For the Monegasque, this can be a supply of serious frustration, which he struggles to cover in post-race interviews.
“I attempted to be aggressive, and I don’t remorse it, although the primary stint made me lose a variety of time,” Charles Leclerc defined, referring to his battle with George Russell within the early laps. “On laborious tires, we have been among the many quickest, however on mediums, I struggled rather a lot—I had no warning earlier than the entrance tires gave out.”
Then, on the Carlos Sainz challenge: “Concerning Carlos, I want not to enter element. I’m not glad as a result of some agreed-upon issues weren’t revered. It’s fantastic, although: for the crew, nothing modifications within the Constructors’ Championship since we completed third and fourth. For the Drivers’ Championship, I’m a bit upset contemplating the battle with Lando Norris. Now I have to concentrate on myself, making an attempt to do my finest, particularly in qualifying, and maximize each alternative from right here on.” – he identified.
Carlos Sainz is having fun with his eighth podium of the season. The Spaniard is aware of very nicely that he has his final probabilities to attain vital leads to F1 earlier than shifting to Williams, and who is aware of what the longer term holds for his profession. Carlos is already not significantly inclined to crew agreements with Leclerc—this may be mentioned plainly—and since he was not confirmed by Ferrari, he has had much more motive to behave on his personal. That mentioned, he prefers to not talk about it an excessive amount of with the media.
“I’ve clear agreements with the crew and with Charles, and I want to not gas public controversies,” Carlos Sainz defined. “We’ll talk about internally what occurred while not having clarifications in entrance of the media. I don’t use the radio to complain, nor do I discuss these issues to the press—it’s not my model, and I don’t assume it’s acceptable. I consider it’s extra helpful to handle all the pieces privately, as needs to be finished in a crew.”
The Spanish driver shared his perspective on the missed pit cease when he minimize throughout the pit lane entry as a result of, apparently, the mechanics weren’t prepared for the cease he had particularly requested a number of laps earlier: “I don’t intend accountable anybody. I wish to analyze and make clear what occurred. I had requested to pit two laps earlier, understanding that Charles was quicker and that I may have helped him, however with Lewis Hamilton behind, the state of affairs was sophisticated. Moreover, the graining made it troublesome to proceed, which is why I insisted on stopping. Regardless of all the pieces, we stayed out, resulting in confusion on the pit lane entry. My tempo dropped after that. I want to debate it internally with out fueling public controversies.”
In brief, this Carlos Sainz podium will probably be adopted by many post-race clarifications. Past all that, Ferrari is gathering lower than hoped for within the battle in opposition to McLaren, and the hole is now 24 factors, with two races and a Dash Race remaining within the championship. Now it’s off to Qatar, the place the MCL38 is predicted to have the benefit. In all probability, Ferrari’s race administration was not optimum, because it may have achieved extra. Is the championship over? Completely not, however everybody might want to row in the identical path to have a greater likelihood of successful. So, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have to get alongside, even when just for present.
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