Carlos Sainz slammed for ironic Charles Leclerc comments ahead of Brazil GP

Carlos Sainz has been called out by fans following his words on Charles Leclerc ahead of this weekend’s Sao Paulo GP in Brazil.

The Williams driver was quizzed about his on-track dealings with his former Ferrari teammate following the breakdown of Leclerc’s relationship with Lewis Hamilton.

A feud has erupted between Hamilton and Leclerc following a series of incidents in recent races - but Sainz’s comments on the matter have drawn accusations of hypocrisy after saying the pair “never clashed”.

Carlos Sainz called out for his view on Charles Leclerc-Lewis Hamilton saga

Lewis Hamilton has been waging a war of words in the press against Charles Leclerc following their clash in Mexico, with the latter’s opening-lap move on the Brit essentially costing Ferrari a 1-2 finish.

Now other drivers have been asked for their thoughts on the developing situation, with former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz weighing in by talking about his time as Leclerc’s teammate at the Scuderia.

The Spaniard has tried to take a diplomatic view, but some fans have pointed out that Sainz was hardly happy to play second fiddle when he went up against Leclerc for the Italian team.

“You know you don’t want to jeopardise the team’s result, but at the same time, you want to win,” he said.

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“It’s more difficult to stick to the team’s ideal strategy because there’s a win on the line; and back then, wins were within reach.

“Even so, I think I always respected Charles and he respected me, we never clashed or anything like that.

“We just had intense battles, I remember Monza or Las Vegas; there were many moments of great tension throughout the year.

“Perhaps the most difficult thing was managing the environment, the relationship with the media, and above all, the fans, who were very passionate at that time.”

As many fans have pointed out, the Sainz and Leclerc did clash on more than one occasion during their time together at Ferrari.

While Leclerc was regarded by most as Ferrari’s Number One driver and its best chance of a win, Sainz was frequently unwilling to follow suit, leading to quite a few awkward moments between the two.

Every Ferrari clash between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz

2022 Austria Sprint

In a scene reminiscent of Mexico ‘26, Sainz and Leclerc repeatedly squabbled throughout the 2022 Austrian Sprint over second and third place, while Max Verstappen scampered off with the lead.

“We cannot afford to do what we did today,” said Leclerc afterwards.

“We lost a little bit of time but again when Max had the gap, he also managed his pace, so we’ll never know… but I felt like we were strong towards the end – probably stronger than at the beginning. Whether it [would have been] enough I really don’t know.”

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2022 British GP

When Ferrari told Sainz to drop back from Leclerc on a late Safety Car restart, the Spaniard was less than impressed.

“Guys, I’m under pressure from Hamilton, please don’t ask these things,” he responded angrily on team radio. “Please. Please. Let’s just stop inventing. Stop inventing. I’m under pressure also”.

Ignoring team orders, Sainz would go on to overtake Leclerc and win the race.

2023 Italian GP

An intense battle towards the end of the Italian GP again saw Sainz and Leclerc fight over the runner-up place with Verstappen in the lead.

The team told the pair “No risk” over team radio, but the drivers interpreted that term loosely at best.

“I’m sure many people did not enjoy that [fight]; the guys on the pit wall perhaps had one heart attack or two, the tifosi probably also, but… for me, this is Formula 1, this is what it should be all the time,” said Leclerc.

“With Max, I’ve had these kinds of fights in the past, today was with Checo and Carlos. We, I think, were always at the limit of the regulations, whether it was defending or attacking and that’s exactly how I enjoy racing. So it was fun. Congrats to Carlos, he’s been really on it since the first lap in FP1, but I’m happy today.”

2024 Las Vegas GP

Sainz and Leclerc were again at loggerheads when arguing who should be ahead towards the end of the Las Vegas GP, the latter saying he should have been given preference after helping his teammate earlier in the race.

“Yes, whatever you, as always…” replied Leclerc sarcastically following an instruction over team radio on the cool-down lap.

“I did my job, but it’s being ******* nice all the ******* time. It’s not even being nice, it’s just being respectful.”

Sainz chose a slightly more circumspect response.

"I don't like using the radio or media to criticise or demonstrate,” he said. “I prefer to do that behind closed doors because there are never good outcomes from these comments.

"But I'm the first one that's not happy, and I was the first one by pitting and trying to get out of the way."