Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz clear air: 'We're all good'
Charles Leclerc stated that he and Carlos Sainz have resolved any conflicts that arose from Leclerc's profanity-filled outburst towards his Ferrari teammate at the end of last Saturday's Las Vegas Grand Prix.
"We have discussed and resolved what happened in Vegas, and we are all on good terms, which is the most important thing," Leclerc told reporters before the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday. "I have no doubts about our relationship because we have always had a strong bond with Carlos."
Throughout the Vegas race, Leclerc and Sainz exchanged positions, but at a crucial moment, Sainz overtook Leclerc, who had just come out of a pit-stop and was informed by race engineer Bryan Bozzi that Sainz was instructed not to pressure or pass Leclerc.
Sainz finished in third place, with Leclerc behind him in fourth.
Immediately after the race, Leclerc could be heard on the radio saying, "Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I did my job, but being nice (bleeps) me over all the (bleeping) time, all the (bleeping) time. It's not even being nice, it's just being respectful. I know I need to shut up but ..."
Leclerc assured on Thursday that he and Sainz have resolved the issue and it will not affect future races.
"Sometimes I have crossed the line and sometimes he has, but it only takes a discussion between the two of us to resolve it," Leclerc said. "We have known each other for a long time now. We understand each other very quickly, so I have no doubts. Sometimes we need these things to reset a little."
The race results did not impact the constructors' standings, but Leclerc currently has 319 points, just 21 points behind McLaren's Lando Norris for second place in the drivers' championship. Sainz is in fifth place with 259 points.
"It is clear for both of us that we want to win the constructors' championship," Leclerc said. "By working as a team, we will achieve that, and I am confident there will be no issues."
Ferrari is currently 24 points behind leaders McLaren, with 103 points still up for grabs.
