As widely expected, the Spanish media did not hesitate to defend Carlos Sainz after the severe backlash he received post-race in Las Vegas at the 6.2-kilometre Las Vegas Strip Circuit in Nevada.
During the second stint, the Spaniard ignored team orders from the Ferrari pit wall, overtaking Charles Leclerc at the first opportunity. This move left the Monegasque driver fuming, visibly frustrated at the end of the race.
“There are things we discuss, and today they went differently,” commented the Monegasque post-race, once again highlighting how his teammate disregarded pre-race briefing instructions.
Carlos Sainz defended himself against his teammate’s accusations, emphasizing how losing one’s temper on live radio isn’t appropriate: “I agreed with him not to say anything to the media and to discuss what happened privately.”
“These are matters between me and him. I never open the radio or talk to the media because I don’t like it. It’s not a good thing to do, and it’s unnecessary.”
MARCA backs Carlos Sainz
While fans and insiders have almost unanimously sided with Leclerc, *MARCA*, a prominent Spanish outlet based in Madrid and historically supportive of Spanish drivers, believes Ferrari has once again treated Carlos Sainz unfairly.
“We saw a summary of Carlos Sainz’s 2023 at Ferrari today,” wrote Marco Canseco and Miguel Sanz.
“Better than Charles Leclerc in many races, better than him in Las Vegas, and even better in qualifying. At times, it seems he has to fight tooth and nail, even with strategy, just to have a normal race.”
The Spanish journalists continued: “Ferrari didn’t have his tires ready. It seemed they didn’t want him to pit at all. Then, he overtook Charles Leclerc with ease because the podium was within reach, and he went on his way. The Madrid native only realized it too late.”
“It’s likely that next year Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, who doesn’t seem at Max Verstappen’s level, or George Russell, or maybe Fernando Alonso, could offer more against one of the best drivers in history, Verstappen, who at just 27 years old is already a well-deserved four-time World Champion.”
These sharp words only add fuel to the fire of an already tense situation at Ferrari. With the constructors’ championship still within reach, the last thing the team needs is to shift focus to internal driver conflicts.
