Carlos Sainz reveals Ferrari issues with 'radical' Charles Leclerc fans

Carlos Sainz has opened up on his battles with Charles Leclerc when the pair were team-mates at Ferrari, in the wake of the latter's recent skirmishes with Lewis Hamilton.

That situation came to a head last weekend in Mexico City, with Hamilton audibly furious on team radio after being pushed off the track and out of first place when his team-mate tried to overtake him.

The incident, one of multiple times the pair have had disagreements on track this year, has raised questions about their suitability as team-mates going forward, as well as Ferrari's handling of the situation within the team.

However, Sainz told media in Brazil this week that he had a respectful racing relationship with the Monegasque, saying that any disagreements the pair had were resolved calmly and quickly.

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Sainz: Leclerc and I always respected each other

Leclerc's fans and his supporters in the Italian media, however, were another thing entirely - with the Spaniard admitting that 'suffered' a bit from insults and ill-wishes from some of his former team-mate's more passionate fans.

He said this week: "Regarding the battles we had, it's true that when you're fighting for wins, the pressure is greater and there's much more at stake. That's why you naturally become a bit more selfish than when you're competing in the midfield for an eighth or ninth place. 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.

Sainz, Leclerc, fans and a 'very polarised' situation

"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.

"The situation was very polarised between Charles and me. I remember suffering a bit because of his more radical fans, who insulted me or wished me ill. Even some Italian media outlets criticised me for not acting enough as a 'second driver' when the situation required it, and the same thing happened when it was Leclerc who had to assume that role.

"Therefore, it was more about the pressure surrounding Ferrari - and that comes with being part of the team - than any real problems between Charles and me; in fact, any conflict was resolved that same night, when we talked things through calmly and managed to find a solution to move forward."

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