Ferrari duo Vettel and Leclerc clear the air after latest on-track spat

Change your timezone:
Ferrari duo Vettel and Leclerc clear the air after latest on-track spat
Vettel fumed at Leclerc after a near-miss at first corner in Bahrain GP restart
Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc have cleared the air after the four-time Formula 1 champion had ranted about his Ferrari team-mate after the restart of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
On the approach to turn one at the Bahrain International Circuit, Vettel was stunned to see Leclerc squeezing through a gap on the inside while he also had McLaren's Carlos Sainz to his outside.
Vettel had no option but to brake and allow Leclerc through to avoid a repeat of their accident at the Styrian Grand Prix when the Monégasque went for a gap that did not exist, resulting in a collision that forced both out of the race.
At the time over the team radio an annoyed Vettel said: "And again! He can't just do that as if I wasn't there. It's the same as Austria, seriously! This time I, you know, I...should've crashed. Maybe it was the better option."
After receiving a response of 'Understood", Vettel continued to fume, adding: "All morning we talk about giving room and then [he] went to the tiniest gap that doesn't exist and you just pray the other guy just sees you and moves out of the way."
Leclerc went on to claim a point for 10th place while Vettel finished 13th.
Leclerc confirmed he and Vettel had spoken about the incident. He said: "On my side, the only thing I can say is that surely it was extremely tight.
"But on the other hand, unlike in the Styrian Grand Prix where I didn't put myself in a visible place, this time I tried for him to see me.
"There was a very little gap, I went for it and I made sure that he saw me. You could argue there was probably not enough gap between our cars, being in the same team."
Vettel was keen to put the matter to rest as he said: "We don't need to make a big deal out of it.
"It was tight. I believe if you have three cars in the first corner at times it works, but most of the time it doesn't. We spoke about it, we move on, no big deal."
Related
More F1 news
Latest F1 news
Recommended by the editors
Charles Leclerc
F1 star Charles Leclerc could miss Spanish GP, faces 'hardest return in sport' with FIA health test
Kimi Antonelli
F1 has an 'AI agent' driver and he's about to become the youngest world champion ever
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari F1 insider has a new theory about massive Leclerc Monza crash
Max Verstappen
F1 champion Max Verstappen reveals his 'bucket list' races after Nurburgring adventure

Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 star Charles Leclerc could miss Spanish GP, faces 'hardest return in sport' with FIA health test
- 2 hours ago
Christian Horner hits recording studio to tell all about controversial F1 exit
- 3 hours ago
F1 News Today: Verstappen admits Mercedes and McLaren talks as Red Bull sign Raikkonen
- Today 11:44
Monza defeat may cost George Russell more than a trophy: 'That does something to a driver'
- Today 10:57
F1 has an 'AI agent' driver and he's about to become the youngest world champion ever
- Today 09:45
Lewis Hamilton made one big Ferrari mistake and now he is paying - 'Why didn't he get it sorted'
- Today 08:58
Most read
Why is this the last Dutch Grand Prix? F1 organisers confirm emotional KO for iconic circuit
- 23 august
F1 star returns after four-year ban lifted
- 29 august
F1 Driver Salaries: Updated list with incredible new Max Verstappen numbers
- 21 august
Top Sky Sports F1 stars absent at Dutch Grand Prix
- 23 august
F1 Qualifying Results: Dutch Grand Prix times and grid positions
- 22 august
FIA announce Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen penalty verdicts at Dutch Grand Prix
- 22 august
Related news
F1 2025 Qualifying head-to-head: Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari misery revealed
Why Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari failure might be a good thing for the seven-time champion
Rising star receives Ferrari promotion for 2026
Lewis Hamilton admits he was caught out by Ferrari 'intensity'
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Lewis Hamilton
- Charles Leclerc
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Franco Colapinto
- Pierre Gasly
- Isack Hadjar
- Liam Lawson
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Carlos Sainz
- Kimi Antonelli
- George Russell
- Oliver Bearman
- Esteban Ocon
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Arvid Lindblad
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Valtteri Bottas
- Sergio Pérez
Races
-
Grand Prix of Australia 2026
-
Grand Prix of China 2026
-
Grand Prix of Japan 2026
-
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2026
-
Miami Grand Prix 2026
-
Grand Prix du Canada 2026
-
Grand Prix De Monaco 2026
-
Gran Premio de Barcelona-Catalunya 2026
-
Grand Prix of Austria 2026
-
Grand Prix of Great Britain 2026
-
Grand Prix of Belgium 2026
-
Grand Prix of Hungary 2026
-
Dutch Grand Prix 2026
-
Grand Prix of Italy 2026
-
Gran Premio de España 2026
-
Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2026
-
Grand Prix of Bahrain 2026
-
Grand Prix of Singapore 2026
-
Grand Prix of the United States 2026
-
Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2026
-
Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2026
-
Las Vegas Grand Prix 2026
-
Qatar Grand Prix 2026
-
Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2026
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Editorial & corporate information
Avenue HQ
10–12 East Parade
Leeds
LS1 2BH
United Kingdom Regional correspondence
View contact page
Realtimes Network
- Authors
- Privacy and Terms
- RSS
- Contact
- Advertise
- Android
- iOS
- Publishing principles
- Corrections policy
- Ownership & funding
- F1 Tickets
- Privacy
Copyright (©) 2017 - 2026 GPFans.com
Realtimes Network












