F1: Leclerc’s outbursts after Sainz’s podium: “I am the only one who respects what was agreed”

There were reasons to think about a double in Las Vegas, but the penultimate race of the World Championship did not end as Ferrari expected. The third place of Carlos Sainzjust ahead of Charles Leclercwas clouded by a questionable strategy by the engineers and by the complaints of the Monegasque pilot, whose furious radio messages further strained the atmosphere.

The 27 points earned at the Strip Circuit bring the Maranello team a little closer to the lead, which only has 24 less than McLaren. In the absence of what happens in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, Ferrari could become champion again, almost two decades after that crazy 2008 World Cup. “We are going to go step by step, but if we cut 15 points in each race we can do it,” he commented Frederic Vasseur, team principal of the Scuderia.

To lift that seventeenth crown, the team’s priority objective is to recover internal peace in the garage, once again called into question after Leclerc’s anger. After crossing the finish line, the winner in Monaco, Monza and Austin launched into endless outbursts. “Yes, I did my job. But it annoys me, all the fucking time. All the fucking time. It’s not about being nice, it’s about being respectful. I know I should keep quiet but in the end it always happens the same thing. So, oh God,” launched during the conversation with Bryan Bozzihis track engineer.

“I’m not happy with Carlos”

A few minutes later, in his appearance on television, Leclerc changed the tone, but not the substance of his message. “I’m not happy with Carlos, although I’m not going to go into details either. We talked about it before the race and I’m always the only one who respects those agreements. From now on I’ll only think about myself,” he lamented in reference to the battle against the Spaniard, whom he leads by 60 points. Likewise, Leclerc described as “a shame” the fact of not having been able to make more cuts in his fight for the runner-up position against Lando Norriswho he still sees at 21 points.

When asked about the exchange of positions during the first stint with the intermediate tires, Leclerc was blunt. “I did it on the first straight. I hadn’t even received the team order, but I already told them on the radio that I would do it.”

The situation had aired on lap 27, when Lewis Hamilton He besieged the Ferraris. At that time, Sainz was running half a second slower than Leclerc, slowed down by the poor performance of his tires. In fact, he had been begging to enter the pits for the pit-stop even before the team ordered a position swap. On lap 28, Sainz threatened to enter boxesbut at the last moment he corrected it. A swerve that could well have cost him a penalty from Rui Marqueswho made his debut as race director, replacing Niels Wittich.

When Carlos asked about what happened, Riccardo Adamihis track engineer, admitted that the team was not prepared to receive him. “Oh, come on. Wake up, guys,” exclaimed the man from Madrid. On lap 32, when Leclerc returned to the asphalt with his new tough game, Sainz was relentless in regaining third place.

“It is not something pleasant, nor necessary”

This whole mess got Leclerc, accustomed to receiving favored treatment over the last four seasons, out of his mind. After the race, Sainz did not take any notice, opting to remain silent and resolve the matter behind closed doors. “Things did not go well, neither for me, who lost a lot of time, nor for Charles. It was not an easy situation to handle. That is why I prefer to analyze it later,” said the winner in Australia and Mexico.

“We have decided not to talk about this with the media and I will resolve it with Charles. I never turn on the radio and I am not going to discuss it with the press, because it is not something pleasant, nor necessary. I had been asking to stop for two laps. I wanted to let Charles pass because it was faster, but I knew that we had Hamilton behind us, so I also asked to stop because there was a lot graining”.

That bitter taste in the mouth ended up coloring Vasseur’s speech. “On this circuit, the conditions are very changeable throughout the weekend. Our pace on Friday was better than today. Today we had room to have done things better,” concluded the Swiss.