Ferrari: Sainz Recalls His Rivalry with Leclerc: “They were insulting me…”

In the Formula 1 circus, the tensions between Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc continue to dominate the headlines: at Thursday’s press conference, the seven-time world champion also brought up former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, saying that the Monegasque driver had been aggressive toward him as well.

The Spaniard spoke to *Marca* about the issue, recalling his rivalry with Leclerc at Maranello: “I’ve always respected Charles, and he’s respected me. We’ve had intense battles, like at Monza and Las Vegas, and moments of great tension throughout the year. If I had made the move Leclerc made in Mexico, I would certainly have had to explain myself.”

“The hardest thing at Ferrari was managing the environment, the media, and the fans,” Sainz recalled. “The situation between Charles and me was very polarized. I remember suffering because of his most extreme fans, who insulted me or wished me harm. Even some Italian media outlets criticized me for not acting enough like a second driver.”

However, there were no issues between the two drivers: “It was more about the pressure surrounding Ferrari than any real problems between Charles and me. Any conflict was resolved that very evening. We’d talk calmly and manage to find a solution to move forward. Two roosters in the henhouse? I don’t recall a team that’s had two good drivers battling for the top spots without any problems arising. You can designate a second driver or have two competitive drivers. But it’s happened at Mercedes, at McLaren, and at Ferrari—I couldn’t say when it hasn’t happened.”