'Never Felt Close Inside Car': Sainz Reacts To His Daring Overtake On Leclerc

F1
Monday, 04 March 2024 at 07:30
Updated at Monday, 04 March 2024 at 08:19
carlos sainz ferrari37
Carlos Sainz suggested his lap 11 overtake on Charles Leclerc, which might be deemed risky by many, never felt close in the car.
The Spanish driver didn't have the best start and fell to P5 immediately, so he had to gain at least two positions to finish on the podium. On lap 11, he found himself behind his struggling teammate Charles Leclerc.
The Monegasque driver was fighting his car, locking up into multiple turns every single lap. Sainz didn't want to waste any time behind the 26-year-old, so he sent it down the inside into turn one.
Going into the car, the two Ferraris were far away from each other, but it seemed they got dangerously close on the exit as Sainz squeezed his teammate.
Watching the move might have raised hairs on the Ferrari pit wall as, at one point, it looked as if the two drivers even touched. Sainz assessed the overtake after the race:

"It never felt close inside the car. Whenever I do an overtake on my team-mate I will always try and leave as much margin as possible, and I try and do it whenever I feel like I'm fully under control and I'm not putting any car at risk."

The 29-year-old asserted he was entirely under control of the situation for the whole time. After all, we have seen some very intense and close fights between the two teammates in the past, but not a single collision. He added:

"And that's exactly what I did. I felt like a very good move. And yeah, always keeping an eye on Charles and not making him also lose time or anything like that."