The 2 have been clashing for 3 seasons now. Let’s be sincere: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz can not stand one another. Or quite, because the automobile started to indicate actual competitiveness within the begin of the 2022 System 1 season, each time they’ve been shut on observe, particularly on Carlos Sainz’s half, it have to be stated, there have been behaviors seemingly supposed to bother the opposite. We’ve witnessed this on a number of events, together with this season.
In 2024, with Carlos Sainz leaving the Maranello workforce even earlier than the debut race, issues have intensified. The Spaniard has targeted extra on himself than on the workforce, which is perhaps justified, however when Charles Leclerc overtly states that his teammate doesn’t respect agreements, it raises eyebrows.
The Las Vegas race topped Max Verstappen as a four-time System 1 world champion and it was solely a matter of time, so congratulations to him. Mercedes did nicely, with a implausible one-two end, due to George Russell’s glorious driving within the first stint and Lewis Hamilton’s unbelievable comeback, displaying he’s nonetheless hungry, clearly. The McLarens carried out poorly however managed to reduce 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 workforce 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 instructed to not stress you, so handle the tire warm-up calmly.” Performed and dusted? In no way. Carlos Sainz overtook Charles Leclerc, and the Monegasque misplaced his cool: “Possibly it’s best to inform him in Spanish.” A comment implying that the Spaniard both doesn’t perceive or doesn’t need 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 taking place.” 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, though the primary stint made me lose a number of time,” Charles Leclerc defined, referring to his battle with George Russell within the early laps. “On arduous tires, we had been among the many quickest, however on mediums, I struggled lots—I had no warning earlier than the entrance tires gave out.”
Then, on the Carlos Sainz difficulty: “Concerning Carlos, I desire not to enter element. I’m not happy as a result of some agreed-upon issues weren’t revered. It’s wonderful, although: for the workforce, 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 give attention to myself, attempting to do my greatest, 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 realize vital leads to F1 earlier than transferring to Williams, and who is aware of what the longer term holds for his profession. Carlos is already not significantly inclined to workforce agreements with Leclerc—this may be stated plainly—and since he was not confirmed by Ferrari, he has had much more purpose to behave on his personal. That stated, he prefers to not talk about it an excessive amount of with the media.
“I’ve clear agreements with the workforce and with Charles, and I desire to not gasoline 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 speak about these issues to the press—it’s not my type, and I don’t assume it’s acceptable. I consider it’s extra helpful to deal with the whole lot privately, as ought to be carried out in a workforce.”
The Spanish driver shared his perspective on the missed pit cease when he reduce 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 in charge anybody. I need to analyze and make clear what occurred. I had requested to pit two laps earlier, realizing that Charles was sooner and that I might have helped him, however with Lewis Hamilton behind, the scenario was sophisticated. Moreover, the graining made it tough to proceed, which is why I insisted on stopping. Regardless of the whole lot, we stayed out, resulting in confusion on the pit lane entry. My tempo dropped after that. I desire 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 accumulating lower than hoped for within the combat towards 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. Most likely, Ferrari’s race administration was not optimum, because it might have achieved extra. Is the championship over? Completely not, however everybody might want to row in the identical route 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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