Carlos Sainz Shuts Up Charles Leclerc’s Complaints With “Couldn’t Stay Behind Him All My Life” Remark

The Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz got their elbows out today at the 2024 Spanish GP. The SF-24 was clearly the fourth-best car on the grid today, as the Scuderia teammates had to contend with each other for the majority of the race. In the early phase of the Grand Prix, homeboy Sainz was chasing Leclerc for fifth on lap 7 of the race.

Sainz, powered by the 18 kph advantage of DRS, tried pulling a move around the outside of the #16 driver into Turn 1. This meant that Leclerc was squeezed by his teammate into the inside kerb leading to the duo making slight contact. Sainz took the escape road and took fifth place.

After the race, Sainz was informed that his teammate had not taken kindly to the former’s aggressive driving. In response, the Spaniard said, as quoted on Twitter (now X), “Charles wasn’t happy with me? For me it was clear, we had a new soft and we had to attack. I don’t [know] what happened to him in the first lap, but I couldn’t stay behind him all my life. I don’t know what he’s complaining about this time.”

The race was Sainz’s last home race for the Scuderia and he was intent on making the most of it. The SF-24 did not have the pace to match the Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes, however, the #55 driver was keen on at least putting a gap between himself and his teammate.

Leclerc himself was sympathetic of Sainz’s motives. However, he took a sly dig at the Spaniard as he reminded him that he was not racing for himself but for his team.

Charles Leclerc gives his verdict on the Spanish GP incident with teammate Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz is yet to sign a contract for 2025. The Spaniard is still evaluating his options but his performances on track are going to also play a crucial role in determining where he lands a drive next year. Naturally, his home Grand Prix was the perfect opportunity for him to showcase his racing talents against one of the most highly-rated drivers on the grid.

But, Leclerc wasn’t happy with Sainz’s racing priorities. He told the media, “It’s a bit unnecessary, but it’s his home race, and it’s also an important moment of his career, so I guess he wanted to do something spectacular. But I probably wasn’t the right person to do that with.”

Their on-track scuffle could have cost Ferrari some major points in the battle for the Constructors’ championship today. However, in the end, the duo finished fifth (Leclerc) and sixth (Sainz) to bag a solid haul of points for the Italian team. But, the gloves seem to be off inside the Ferrari garage.