Key team radio exchanges between Carlos Sainz and Riccardo Adami in F1 Las Vegas GP. Las Vegas: some of the key team radio exchanges between Carlos Sainz and Riccardo Adami.

Internal Tension
After the Las Vegas Grand Prix, while Mercedes celebrated a dominant one-two finish and Max Verstappen basked in his fourth consecutive championship title, Ferrari found itself dealing with internal driver conflict. The issue arose from a heated team radio exchange involving Charles Leclerc, who, after crossing the finish line, vented frustration with the pit wall, accusing Carlos Sainz of failing to act in the team’s best interest.

Post-race comments from the drivers hinted that Carlos Sainz might not have adhered to pre-race agreements within the team. Charles Leclerc had expressed clear discontent over the radio during the race, objecting to being overtaken by Sainz after the second pit stop. Charles Leclerc had been told that “Carlos has been instructed not to overtake.” However, based on the team radio transcripts, Carlos Sainz does not appear to have committed any blatant act of insubordination during the race.

Following Orders
Analyzing the full sequence of radio messages between Carlos Sainz and his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, it’s evident that the Spanish driver was mainly questioning the Maranello team’s strategy. The radio logs support Carlos Sainz’s account: he had proactively suggested an earlier pit stop to avoid getting caught by the charging Charles Leclerc-Lewis Hamilton duo. When instructed to let Leclerc pass, Carlos Sainz complied, albeit after a slight delay.

Importantly, Carlos Sainz was never explicitly told not to overtake Leclerc. The only directive he received was “not to put pressure on him,” which Carlos Sainz likely interpreted as a request to avoid tailgating his teammate. It’s hard to imagine a driver refraining from overtaking, even a teammate, without a clear team order.

The DRS Controversy
Some fans accused Carlos Sainz on social media of deliberately giving Max Verstappen DRS in the final laps to hinder Charles Leclerc’s chances of overtaking the Red Bull driver. However, the radio exchanges with Adami do not support this theory. In fact, Riccardo Adami praised Carlos Sainz when he managed to extend the gap to Max Verstappen to over a second, preventing the world champion from using DRS to defend against Charles Leclerc’s attacks.

Key team radio exchanges between Carlos Sainz and Riccardo Adami

**Lap 15**
Sainz: “Correct me if I’m wrong, but this looks more like a Plan C situation right now.”
Adami: “Yes, that’s possible. It depends on the graining. We’re monitoring.”

**Laps 24-28**
Sainz: “I’m starting to get graining on the front right.”
Adami: “Understood.”
Adami: “We’re going with Plan C. Don’t slow Charles down.”
Sainz: “We could pit this lap if you want.”
Adami: “Understood, got it.”
Adami: “Let Charles through and stay out this lap. We’re creating a gap to Tsunoda.”
Sainz: “Who’s behind Charles?”
Adami: “Hamilton.”
Adami: “Be careful, Hamilton is right behind Charles. Half a second behind.”
Sainz: “Box me, guys! Box me! I’m slow. I’m losing time.”
Adami: “Box this lap. Let Charles through and box. Let him through at Turn 14. Box.”
Adami: “Stay out! Stay out! Stay out!”
Sainz: “What happened? What happened?”
Adami: “We weren’t ready.”
Sainz: “Wake up, guys, come on!”
Adami: “Box confirmed. Keep the same flap.”

**Lap 32**
Adami: “Charles is pitting; don’t put pressure on him.”

**Laps 42-47**
Adami: “Max is behind. Verstappen is 0.7 seconds back. Now 0.8.”
Sainz: “My battery is gone.”
Adami: “It’s recharging slowly. Everything’s fine.”
Adami: “Verstappen is 0.9 seconds back.”
Adami: “Try to improve your pace.”
Sainz: “I’m trying.”
Adami: “Okay, good job. Verstappen is 1.1 seconds behind.”
Sainz: “Yeah, I improve my pace for one lap, but then I’m slow again.”
Adami: “Verstappen is 1.3 seconds behind. 1.5 now, good job. He doesn’t have DRS.”