Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. clear the air after frustration in Las Vegas
LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. say they've resolved a disagreement which led Leclerc to vent his frustrations in an expletive-filled outburst over the radio following last week's Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Leclerc was clearly upset with the Ferrari strategy after he was passed by Sainz in Las Vegas and finished fourth, one place behind his teammate.
Both drivers said Thursday they'd spoken to clear up the situation ahead of this week's Qatar Grand Prix and felt they could now focus on trying to win the constructors' title for Ferrari.
“Whatever happened in Vegas, we discussed about it and we’re all good, which is the most important thing," Leclerc said. “I have no doubts about that because we’ve always had a really good relationship with Carlos. We’ve had races where sometimes things don’t go exactly the way we want but the most important thing is that we discuss about it and we go forward.”
Heading into their second-to-last race weekend as teammates, Sainz said he and Leclerc remained friends, even if “we go through some misunderstandings that in the heat of the moment, we obviously are quite vocal about and we feel very frustrated about.”
Sainz said he'd remember his time with Leclerc and Ferrari with fondness after he moves to Williams for 2025 to partner Alex Albon.
“We also have a personal relationship. And as much as the professional one goes through ups and downs, the personal one, I can tell you it’s always been really, really good,” Sainz said.
"In these four years in Ferrari, I’ve enjoyed every single moment with him. Even the tough ones, as much as they’ve been tough, I’m pretty sure in 20 or 30 years I’ll laugh about them and look back being proud of what we put together."
Leclerc will be teaming up with Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari next year and said he expected to form a bond with the seven-time champion.
“It’s a different kind of relationship because I haven’t spent that much time with Lewis yet, but I have obviously so much respect for Lewis and what he has achieved, and we have had a very good relationship,” he said.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
