Sainz: 'Tensions with Leclerc Happen, But We're Moving On'

Carlos Sainz dismissed recent tensions with Charles Leclerc, saying such issues are common between them, and they’re ready to move on.

Carlos Sainz arrived in the Qatar Grand Prix paddock determined to give his all in helping Ferrari keep the Constructors’ Championship fight alive.

However, he couldn’t avoid questions about his tensions with Charles Leclerc after the Las Vegas race.

The Spaniard and the Monegasque were called in by Frédéric Vasseur, but according to Sainz, everything is fine now.

“We’ve discussed it, and we’ve drawn our conclusions. We’re ready to move on from this weekend, after a tough race for both of us. We want to win the Constructors’ title by working together, as we’ve done for the last four years.”

Sainz emphasized that tensions are inevitable when the two are often close on track.

“Charles has already said it, and I fully agree. It always happens between us because we race together a lot. We go through misunderstandings that we often express in the heat of the moment, which frustrates us a lot.”

“After a few days, you can look at things with a bit more perspective, put it into context, and give yourself some time to reflect and draw conclusions. You realize that when you talk things through, you can really understand them and move on.”

“This is the process we’ve been through for four years, as we always share the same piece of tarmac and fight each other on track, since we drive the same car and are at the same pace. We’ve been through this so often that we know how to talk about it and move past it.”

As for the end of the season, Sainz sees it as difficult, already impacted by accumulated fatigue.

“It won’t be easy, but we’re at the end of the season, and perfect execution is becoming more difficult as fatigue builds, and a Sprint weekend is inherently more dangerous.”

“A less-than-perfect weekend can happen. The key, when it does, is to turn the page quickly and start afresh in the next session. We must stay focused and clearly understand the goal we want to achieve.”

“In Vegas, the race wasn’t without imperfections, and our performance wasn’t up to our expectations. However, the result was that the maximum we could achieve was third and fourth, and we took those positions.”

“The result depends on many factors, not just the absolute level of your performance. So maybe here we’ll see an opposite situation, and even on a track that shouldn’t favor us, we want to give our best for perfect execution, which will allow us to get the best possible result.”

“If we manage that, we could find some satisfaction and do better than what this track might seem to offer. Of course, we’ll know more when we hit the track, which I’m looking forward to.”

Can Ferrari still beat McLaren in the championship with a 24-point deficit and 103 points remaining?

“It’s interesting to see where Ferrari and McLaren were in 2020, bouncing back from a crisis. The two most historic teams! And now we’re back in the fight for the championship. I have a lot of respect for them and the people leading the program, but I want to beat them.”

“On paper, this isn’t the best track for us. But F1 always surprises us, and we could still come out of it with a good result. We’ll try to have the best weekend possible, minimize the damage, but the story could be very different on Sunday.”

“It would be the best way to end my time with Ferrari, with a win and the Constructors’ title. I’m aiming for them because it would be the best way to close this chapter of my career, and we’ll give everything, knowing McLaren is the favorite.”