Leclerc Admits Friction With Sainz But Says 'It's Not Like' It Seems

Wednesday, 07 August 2024 at 22:00

Charles Leclerc discussed the tense situations between him and his current Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz.

Ferrari drivers are one of the most closely matched pairings on the grid. This means they very often qualify in similar positions and battle on track.

The two have had some of the closest wheel-to-wheel battles without crashing that we have seen between teammates from any team in F1.

However, there was one occasion this season when Sainz and Leclerc collided. It was during the Spanish Grand Prix- the 10th round of the season in Barcelona.

The Spaniard went to overtake Leclerc from the outside and collided with him at the apex. While the Monegasque felt he should have been afforded more space, Sainz insisted he, the 26-year-old, should have backed out.

After the race, Leclerc poked at his teammate during an interview, saying it was "unnecessary" and that he was probably "super motivated" to perform at his home grand prix, but he wasn't "the person to do that with."

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When approached with the comments made by his teammate, the Spanish driver hit back saying Leclerc complains about something "too many times" after the race.

From their reactions, it was clear there was some sort of friction, even though both Scuderia drivers claim to be great friends with amazing relationship.

Speaking to Belgian radio station RTBF, Charles Leclerc explained how he and Sainz navigate a situation in which they want to have a good relationship but compete against each other on track, which naturally creates friction.

“"It's normal that sometimes there is friction. Carlos and I don't always agree on what happens on the track and managing adrenaline is not easy, but the important thing is to be able to discuss it when the race is over."”