Maintaining a good relationship despite going at each other every single race week isn’t easy for F1 teammates. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have been navigating through those testing waters for the last three years, and for two more races, they have to keep doing so.
At the Las Vegas GP last weekend, tensions between Sainz and Leclerc flared up because the Spaniard refused to let his Ferrari partner by, citing concerns with a chasing Lewis Hamilton behind as the reason. Leclerc, who wasn’t happy, went as far as dropping the F-bomb on the team radio, sparking rumors of yet another internal rift at the Maranello-based outfit.
However, like every time, Leclerc came out to say that nothing was wrong. When asked what had been discussed since that incident, Leclerc said ‘nothing special’.
“At the end, I don’t even need that. As I said, me and Carlos have a really good relationship and sometimes I overstep the line and sometimes he did,” the Monegasque driver said ahead of the Qatar GP weekend.
Q: to work as a team requires a trust in the team and teammate. what has been said since vegas to give you this trust?
: “nothing special, but at the end i don’t even need that. as i said, me and carlos have a really good relationship and sometimes i overstep the line and… pic.twitter.com/fW5hMHoNW6
— leclerc data (@leclercdata) November 28, 2024
Fully aware that Ferrari’s hopes of winning the Constructors’ Championship depend on his ability to trust and collaborate with Sainz, Leclerc added, “I have no doubts, sometimes we need these kind of things to reset a bit and I have no doubts that going into the last races there won’t be any problem because it’s in the benefit for both of us to try and win the constructors.”
Sainz is 60 points behind Leclerc in the standings, which although it seems like a lot, does not tell the whole story of the season. The Spaniard has had more crashes and incidents, which has left him far behind but in reality, in most of the races, he has been quite close to Leclerc, which has led to some heated moments concerning who should be ahead.
Equation for Ferrari and its drivers
The best Sainz can do is finish P4 in the Drivers’ Championship, a position currently occupied by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. That would be easily achievable had Ferrari made it a priority, but in all honesty, it is not.
Sainz’s focus would be on helping the team win its first team title since 2008. They currently trail leaders McLaren by 24 points, which isn’t too big of a deficit to overcome, provided he works hand-in-hand with Leclerc. The 27-year-old, however, is eyeing P2 in the standings.
Lando Norris currently holds that spot and is 21 points ahead. But going by Ferrari’s form, Leclerc would be fancying his chances of finishing as the Championship runner-up for the second time in three years. Whether Sainz also helps him achieve that remains to be seen.
