'The frog that has the tea': Carlos Sainz issues perfect response to Ferrari turmoil

The frog that has the tea. No, Carlos Sainz hasn’t announced a collaboration with CBBC to start reading bedtime stories - although, actually, Williams can you make that happen, please?

Sainz faced an inevitable onslaught of questioning ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, after chairman at his former team Ferrari, John Elkann, triggered a media avalanche last week.

After a double DNF at the Brazilian GP, Elkann praised Ferrari’s mechanics and engineers but disparaged Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc by suggesting the drivers should ‘talk less’ and focus on driving.

Like a 00s girl band on the verge of breaking up, Ferrari and their drivers have put on a united front to the media, as if Simon Cowell himself had schooled the team about the importance of this money making opportunity if they ‘stay together’.

Both Hamilton and Leclerc assured audiences everyone has to take accountability at the team and that both drivers have the utmost respect for Elkann. In essence? They are not adding anymore fuel to the fire.

So, the pack of press hounds descended on Carlos Sainz – who by being a previous Ferrari driver definitely means he is qualified to answer the question – to try and get a juicy headline.

Yet, he provided fans and the media with something far better than the usual rage bait soundbite.

It's not easy being green driving for the red team

Sainz was placed under the microscope by Sky Sports F1 presenter Ted Kravitz, who directed a question on the Ferrari turmoil in the media pen ahead of the Las Vegas GP.

Kravitz asked: “Can I ask you as a former Ferrari driver, do Ferrari drivers need to be more careful saying things in public at risk of upsetting people higher up the chain?"

You’d think being dumped for a seven-time world champion at Ferrari would make you a little petty, and I’d certainly aim some cheap shots at my former team if I was Sainz (which probably says a lot about my emotional maturity).

Sainz refused to, instead answering with a knowing grin: “How do you say Ted? That is none of my business. It’s not the frog who has the tea.”

The Williams star then began to mimic drinking a cup of tea, referencing the meme of Kermit the Frog sipping on a brew - which also has no milk in it, and kind of weirds me out.*

For those of you that are not chronically online, the Kermit meme can be used in a couple of different ways, but in this context could be applied to Sainz acknowledging the drama at Ferrari and pretending not to care.

Sainz was incredibly proud of his comparison, and continued laughing: “That is none of my business.”

Kravitz then responded: “It’s fine, I have to ask and that is the perfect answer from you, so we will leave it there, thank you very much.”

Clearly still riding the high of his joke, Sainz remained in front of Kravitz to make sure he understood the meme he was referencing, and added: “You know the meme that I’m talking about? The frog with the tea?”

Despondently, Kravitz said: “I don’t really, but uh…”

“That’s literally me right now,” Sainz grinned.

*= I have since learnt that Kermit could be sipping iced tea, which if he added milk would be a criminal act. I would like to therefore retract my previous statement in this instance to avoid any allegations I add milk to my peach iced tea.

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