The Las Vegas Grand Prix saw—yet again this season—Carlos Sainz racing without considering Ferrari’s best interests.
Charles Leclerc can no longer tolerate his dismissive behavior, especially when the focus should be on the Constructors’ Championship.
Carlos Sainz like Didier Pironi: defying orders
The Spanish driver made headlines on Saturday in Nevada by securing a podium finish. However, post-race controversies were far from absent; in fact, they were more than justified given his unacceptable attitude.
During the race, the 29-year-old disobeyed team orders on two occasions: first, delaying a position swap with a faster Charles Leclerc by demanding that the team call him into the pits instead of letting him pass; then overtaking Charles Leclerc as he exited the pit lane after his final stop, securing a move that ultimately earned him the podium.
To be clear, Ferrari’s team result wouldn’t have changed; a third and fourth place was the maximum achievable. However, that’s not the point. The issue is that Carlos Sainz consistently ignores pre-agreed team strategies, as noted by his teammate.
“Not following team orders is understandable; after all, he’s already been let go by Ferrari,” one might argue. Yet his outright disregard for the team is far from respectable.
Disagree with what you’re being asked? Offer a brief explanation and confirm you’re proceeding differently—it would certainly earn you more respect.
Given how much pride Carlos claims to have, why undermine Ferrari’s Constructors’ Championship fight? At that stage of the race, the priority was to maximize the result for both drivers to gain as many points as possible against McLaren.
To reiterate, in hindsight, Ferrari achieved the best possible result (making the finishing order between the two irrelevant for the team). However, during the race, no one could have known that.
What is undeniably significant, though, is Carlos Sainz’s dismissive attitude, showing no commitment to a title that—when it comes to “personal pride”—should matter to him.
What better way to leave Maranello than by helping the team win a championship after 16 years? What better legacy than to be fondly remembered by the fans? For Carlos Sainz, however, it seems more important to enhance his personal record with a podium than contribute to a Constructors’ title.
Charles Leclerc has had enough
On the other side of the garage, Charles Leclerc is fed up, having always prioritized the team’s interests. At Silverstone in 2022, despite being in contention for the Drivers’ Championship (a campaign that ended poorly), he swallowed the inexplicable decision to favor Carlos Sainz’s late-race victory, even after dominating the race with a damaged front wing. At Singapore in 2023, he deliberately gave Carlos Sainz a safety gap to help him secure Ferrari’s only win of the season, stating after the race: “What matters is that Ferrari won.”
Now, however, he finds himself hearing that Sainz was told not to attack him, only to see him overtake with ease and without hesitation.
With only two Grands Prix left in Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari career, one thing is clear from his four years at Maranello: he has always raced for his own interests, showing little respect for a team working towards a shared goal rather than a narrow, unrealistic ambition of being the better driver.
Unfortunately for the fans, not everyone is like Villeneuve or Leclerc; some are like Sainz and Pironi. And the first to recognize this would likely be Enzo Ferrari himself, who turned his passion into a magnificent reality and always emphasized: “Ferrari first, always before the drivers.”
