Charles Leclerc on F1 team orders: “It’s hard to find balance, friction is normal”. Charles Leclerc explained that drivers don’t always manage adrenaline in the best way.

A rollercoaster 2024

In the first part of the 2024 Formula 1 championship, Ferrari and Charles Leclerc appeared to be the second strongest in the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships, behind Red Bull and Max Verstappen. However, Ferrari has struggled to keep up with its rivals, and in recent races, McLaren and Mercedes have seemed better at realizing the potential of their cars. Charles Leclerc has reflected this slowdown, with 138 points in the first 8 races and only 39 in the subsequent 6.

Pushing to the limit

After the summer break, Ferrari hopes to improve further compared to recent performances, and the whole team is united and focused under Frederic Vasseur’s leadership. In an interview with Belgium’s *Rtbf*, Charles Leclerc emphasized his strong relationship with the team principal: “With Fred, it’s great because we don’t need many words to understand each other. We’ve known each other for a long time and are very straightforward, so we don’t waste time. I think it’s a positive thing, and we work very well together. We’re in a challenging situation as a team, and we’re not happy about it. But we’re doing everything we can to get back to the front.” – the Monegasque driver pointed out.

On team orders

It’s no secret that over the past three and a half years, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have had some friction, though it hasn’t affected their relationship. Charles Leclerc explained: “Team orders? Finding balance isn’t easy because we’ve all worked hard to get here. So it’s normal that sometimes there’s friction, especially when there are heated battles between teammates.” – the Ferrari driver admitted.

Speaking specifically about Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc added: “I think McLaren handled the situation well between Norris and Piastri in Hungary. I flew with them to Belgium, and everything was fine. The same thing has happened between me and Carlos Sainz in the past. We didn’t agree on what happened on track and discussed it afterward. You don’t always manage adrenaline in the best way. And sometimes radio communications sound much more intense than they really are,” the Monegasque driver concluded with a smile.