In his last Formula 1 season with Carlos Sainz as his team-mate, Charles Leclerc talks about his relationship with the Spaniard and some difficult moments
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have been teammates at Ferrari since the 2021 Formula 1 season and have repeatedly emphasized during this time that they get along well and put the team’s interests first
However, their time together in red comes to an end this season: Sainz is moving to Williams to make way for Lewis Hamilton, who will become Leclerc’s new team-mate.
When asked what he will miss most about Sainz, the Monegasque said in the Beyond the Grid podcast: “I think just Carlos, the person. I think we understand each other very, very well. Unfortunately, in today’s world, everything is analyzed and criticized too much. But the reality is that we’ve always had a very good relationship.”
Although there were many moments “when I hated him under the helmet and he hated me because we didn’t see the situation in the same way,” Leclerc admits. “But everything was resolved after a discussion between the two of us.”
This has also been the case this season, in which Leclerc and Sainz have clashed several times – for example in the Shanghai sprint or in the Barcelona race, where there was contact in the duel and a few verbal spikes afterwards.
But, as we all know, nothing is eaten as hot as it is cooked, and tempers quickly calmed down again – also thanks to a discussion afterwards.
“I’ve been lucky in my career, at least in Formula 1, that I’ve always dealt with drivers who were really open to discussion and that I was also able to separate what was happening on the track from the relationship off the track. That was also very important,” explains Leclerc.
“And that was always the case with my team-mates. I was always very happy with that, whether with Marcus , Seb (Vettel) or now with Carlos,” he emphasizes. “We get on very, very well, we have a lot of common interests and we’ve had a lot of memorable moments that I will always remember. “
The Ferrari driver denies that Leclerc has ever had a bad relationship with any of his team-mates: “I don’t think so, but I think that’s also part of my character. I get on well with everyone. I don’t have any problems with anyone.”
In this context, Leclerc also recalls former team-mates from other racing series such as George Russell, Alex Albon and Nyck de Vries. “I really don’t have a bad example of a team-mate pairing with me,” he emphasizes.
“Sure, there were tense moments on the track, because I had very strong teammates and sometimes it’s very close. But that’s quite normal. It’s the only person on the track who has exactly the same car. So the competition is very strong, but it’s always been a very healthy rivalry and that’s been good. “
