Charles Leclerc was livid on the finish of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, making his emotions clear over the radio to engineer Bryan Bozzi after Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz ignored orders not to attack him.
Having regarded on the right track to overcut Sainz in the course of the ultimate spherical of stops, Leclerc was handed by the Spaniard who duly secured one other podium earlier than he leaves the Italian squad on the finish of 2024.
However was Sainz proper to disregard the staff, or will he remorse the choice? Our writers have their say.
Sainz is inside his rights to point out Ferrari what it’s going to be lacking – Alex Kalinauckas
Bear in mind simply how savagely Sainz fought Leclerc again within the China dash race? Or the elongated comparable battle in the identical setting at Austin? Nicely, his ruthlessness in opposition to his team-mate burst onto the GP stage in Vegas and, given it meant Leclerc acquired trapped for too lengthy behind Max Verstappen, received him a twenty sixth F1 profession podium.
In heading to Williams subsequent yr, Sainz has chosen the higher short-term possibility in competitiveness phrases over Sauber/Audi. However a Williams driver has not stood on an F1 podium since Belgium 2021 (though, in actuality, Baku 2017).
He simply cannot know when he’ll attain the podium in F1 once more given his upcoming step down the grid, even when he and new team-mate Alex Albon hope Williams can proceed on its upward trajectory underneath staff boss James Vowles.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Pictures
That alone justifies his choice to disregard Ferrari’s directions to not assault Leclerc as the opposite SF-24 emerged from its second cease within the Vegas night time. That enraged Leclerc, round some wonderful “Perhaps attempt in Spanish” sarcasm. Though solely the order for Sainz to swap positions – which he delayed doing – forward of their first providers was performed out on the world feed.
It isn’t onerous to learn a specific amount of frustration in Sainz’s driving in opposition to Leclerc at occasions this yr.
Ferrari picked the Monegasque as its long-term star even earlier than signing Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes when Sainz had proven so nicely in opposition to such a quick and highly-rated driver. He’s often the higher of the pair when understeer comes into play – such because it did in Mexico and another way with the cool floor temperatures in Vegas.
And till Leclerc acquired his act collectively on the hards within the Vegas race, Sainz had led the best way for Ferrari – bar his slight over-doing it on the first nook and sliding deep, opening the door for his team-mate. Maybe he thought he was restoring the occasion’s pure order by ignoring the staff selection.
It comes with a threat that he may not be thought-about again at Ferrari within the coming years, one thing Sainz has been overtly saying he’d need if the possibility arrives.
However, given how issues can change in short-term consideration on the Scuderia, as proved by its historical past with administration and driver modifications, Sainz brutally taking such an method himself in 2024 may not even matter.
Sainz will probably be hoping he is not burning bridges – Oleg Karpov
All issues thought-about, I believe Sainz has dealt with this yr extremely nicely. And he is had rather a lot to course of – not solely the realisation that he is going to get replaced by one other driver but additionally the truth that different prime groups – with vacancies too – weren’t speeding to signal him.
However he has delivered on monitor and hasn’t actually dropped a single dangerous phrase within the media concerning the uncomfortable scenario Ferrari has put him in. And I at all times felt that leaving the door open was the easiest way ahead for the Spaniard.
Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, third place, on the rostrum
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures
As a result of what this yr has proven is that Ferrari might be nonetheless the very best probability for him to get again right into a successful automobile sooner or later. By behaving professionally and speaking accurately with the surface world, he has solely elevated his probabilities of a comeback on a day when Lewis Hamilton decides to retire.
It is nonetheless a good distance off and the world will probably be a really totally different place in a number of years’ time, however Sainz’s childhood hero and good buddy Fernando Alonso could possibly be a superb instance of why it is necessary to not burn bridges.
We do not actually know what occurred in Vegas (and a few of it can most likely keep in Vegas without end), and it is onerous to debate with out figuring out the main points of the pre-race discussions. But when Sainz did handle to upset the staff (he actually did annoy his team-mate by the seems of it) for the sake of getting one other podium, it is most likely truthful to ask whether or not it was value it.
Sure, it could have been one of many final such alternatives for Sainz, however did not he simply make his future somewhat harder?
Mercedes and Purple Bull had the right alternative to grab Sainz this yr. The previous had a emptiness, the latter nonetheless cannot fairly determine what to do with Sergio Perez – and but Sainz, a free agent, hasn’t turned out to be as enticing an possibility as you’d suppose. And there isn’t any indication that their perspective in the direction of Sainz will change sooner or later.
There are these within the paddock who consider that it was an inside battle with Verstappen and his clan throughout their Toro Rosso spell that in the end prevented Sainz from making a comeback to the Purple Bull household – and it is not too tough to consider that was one of many elements…
It seems like Leclerc will probably be with Ferrari for a number of years longer than Hamilton. It most likely will not be him who decides who his subsequent team-mate will probably be – however will Sainz nonetheless be on Ferrari’s listing if there is a bittersweet feeling left after this yr?