Great Battle Between Leclerc and Sainz in Spain, On and Off the Track: Charles’ Strong Criticism, Stating That “Carlos Did Not Follow the Team’s Orders”
t was a tough pill to swallow for both drivers. On one side, the frustration of Carlos Sainz after having a disappointing weekend at his home race, and on the other side, Leclerc’s bitterness over what happened on the track: the two touched in lap 2, with Sainz, ignoring team orders, overtaking Leclerc and leaving the Monegasque driver stunned.
Here is what Charles Leclerc said at the end of the GP, speaking to Sky Sport F1: “The battle between me and Carlos? I consider it unfair and not right. After this morning’s debriefing, it was the moment where we needed to save the tyres. We had to do it especially in the last corner: on that particular lap, I did what I was supposed to do, while Carlos did not save the tyres at all and overtook me at the end of the straight into turn 1. In the end, it went like this, but there was no need to take this risk, especially since he damaged my front wing and I lost time.”
Then the final jab, about the fact that the Spaniard tried to be “the hero”: “I know it’s his home Grand Prix, he’s at a particular point in his career. He wanted to do something spectacular, but it wasn’t the right time. It wasn’t fair. Russell’s fourth place? We didn’t get it because of this fight, the pace was good, and I managed the tyres well. With ifs and buts, it’s easy to talk at the end of the weekend: the problem is that we lacked race pace,”he concluded.
Sainz’s Response: “What’s He Complaining About?”
Carlos Sainz immediately responded: “Leclerc wasn’t happy with the duel with me? For me, it was clear, we had a new soft tire, and we had to attack. I don’t know what happened to him in the first lap, I couldn’t stay behind him all my life. I don’t know what he’s complaining about this time. Really, I don’t know what he’s worried about,”Sainz finished.
Photo: Scuderia Ferrari HP
