Frederic Vasseur commented on the disagreement between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, while Ferrari now trails McLaren by 24 points.
It was a tough race, and an even more complicated aftermath for Ferrari. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished the Las Vegas Grand Prix in third and fourth place, respectively, but post-race, tensions between the two were apparent. In particular, the team radio from the Monegasque driver aimed at his teammate did not go unnoticed, to say the least.
Team orders not respected by Sainz, according to Leclerc, and an attitude that was not respectful towards the team. The Spanish driver’s response has not come yet, at least not publicly, and team principal Frederic Vasseur hinted that the matter will be addressed privately.
The Frenchman spoke as follows after the race: “It was a difficult race. At one point during the second stint, we had a gap of three or four seconds, and both drivers wanted to pit, but Hamilton was closing in. This cost us some time towards the end, even though initially we wanted to extend the stint. We discussed this with Carlos, the idea was to keep him out longer, but it wasn’t possible, and then there was the issue with the pit stop.”
“I think it was a complicated race for the drivers: in those conditions, they are under enormous pressure, and it is really frustrating to lose two seconds on track because of graining. Was Leclerc angry with Sainz? I haven’t spoken to them yet. They needed to shower and head back to the hotel, but we will discuss it during the debriefing. For now, let’s focus on next week.”
Photo: Scuderia Ferrari
