Charles Leclerc accuses Carlos Sainz
The disappointment for Scuderia Ferrari at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona translates into frustration at the microphones. Charles Leclerc is furious with Carlos Sainz, accusing him of essentially damaging his front wing in the early race battle: not only in terms of lost time, but also with a slight contact in the left wing area and overall race management. So, when the Monegasque vented on the team radio at the end of the race, complaining about the one extra lap he needed to overtake George Russell, he was referring precisely to the battle with his teammate: without that, he says, he would have at least finished fourth.
Charles Leclerc’s words
“The fight was not fair, but above all not just at that moment, because it was the time when we knew we both had to save the tires, especially in the last corner: obviously in that particular lap, I saved as I had to in the last corner, but I saw Carlos didn’t save at all and overtook me at the end of the straight,” said the Monegasque in his post-race interview for Sky Sport F1. “In the end, it went like that, but there was no need to take this risk, taking the corner as if it wasn’t there. Unfortunately, he damaged my left front wing, which cost us some time. We will talk within the team at the end.” The two already had a first confrontation in the pit lane, but it will surely be a heated briefing.
“It’s also his home Grand Prix, I think it’s an important moment for his career. He wanted to do something spectacular, but it wasn’t the time, and in the end, it cost us a position: it wasn’t a very nice moment,” he continued. “Where did I lose that lap to Russell? In my opinion, in the fight, because afterward, we also had a good race, but with ifs and buts, we could have done many other things.” – the Monegasque driver pointed out.
What is certain is that Ferrari, even without the fratricidal fight, did not have the pace to keep up with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Charles Leclerc, therefore, does not want to blame the team for the strategy: “In the end, when you are behind, you have to try to do something different. After the race, it’s always easy to say we could have done better, but today I don’t think that was the case. The problem of the weekend is that we lacked pace, and this is what we need to look at closely.” – the Monegasque driver concluded at the end of a disappointing Spanish Grand Prix for the Maranello team.
