Ferrari rift denied despite controversial calls
Ferrari rift denied despite controversial calls
Carlos Sainz has denied the existence of a rift at Ferrari and insisted Charles Leclerc acted like "a gentleman" in the wake of the Spanish driver's maiden F1 victory.
Leclerc had been in the lead of last weekend's British Grand Prix when a late safety car was deployed but Ferrari opted not to pit the Monégasque who was running on ageing hard tyres and instead bring in Sainz and fit new softs.
The move proved crucial to Sainz's triumph and left Leclerc a relative sitting duck as he was eventually only able to finish fourth.
Leclerc was unhappy with the choices made by the strategists and after the race was seen being spoken to by team principal Mattia Binotto.
There had also been rumours that Leclerc's side of the garage did not join in with Sainz's celebrations.
But asked how Ferrari's debrief unfolded and whether there was a threat to the team spirit between the two drivers, Sainz explained: "It was a relatively short briefing because we had to leave to the airport and take the group picture.
"I think that Charles had the anti-doping control so we couldn't share the briefing together.
"Like always, he behaved like a gentleman, as he is, and the briefing was normal, like the way it should go.
"The way it goes when I have a bad race is also a normal briefing and the way it goes when he has a bad race is a normal briefing.
"It is one of the strong points we have as team-mates and we have as drivers and as the team spirit, we have at Ferrari.
"These things are always under control."
Sainz insists going against Ferrari was correct move
At the end of the safety car intervention, Sainz was instructed to drop to the maximum permitted 10 car lengths behind Leclerc in order to act as a buffer.
But Sainz stayed right with his team-mate and made the move for the lead after just four corners of the first green-flag lap.
On whether he believes the correct call was made, Sainz said: "Well, Ferrari won, I won, so for sure, it was not the wrong decision.
"At that time in the car, I perfectly knew what I had to do to not put Charles in a compromised position but also give Ferrari a race win. That is what the team cares most about.
"Everything I did was sensible. I didn't put Charles at unnecessary risk or pressure while knowing I was going to overtake him fairly easily on the softs.
"I won the race for Ferrari and it was a good outcome in the end.
"I would have done the same again and the team understood my position, which is why they didn't call again for the 10 car lengths because they knew what I had argued during the radio comment was also totally valid."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Audi agree STAR driver contract as Mercedes driver tipped for new F1 seat THIS season - GPFans F1 Recap
- 1 hour ago
Ferrari show off new-look drivers following HUGE announcement
- 2 hours ago
McLaren leading fight for HUGE cash injection
- 3 hours ago
Newey set to announce STUNNING Red Bull departure
- Yesterday 17:57
Newey Red Bull exit wish CONFIRMED as F1 guru's reasons revealed
- Yesterday 20:57
F1 legend reveals 'FLOOD' of death threats after controversial decision
- Yesterday 19:57
Related news
Ferrari show off new-look drivers following HUGE announcement
Sky Sports F1 pundit dumbfounded by key Ferrari decision
F1 giants announce name change with IMMEDIATE effect
Ferrari announce HUGE F1 change to iconic red livery
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860