Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz achieved fourth and fifth place, respectively, in the Sprint race.
The Ferrari drivers were very close in terms of performance throughout the weekend of the Chinese Grand Prix. During the recent sprint race, they were competing for positions in the final laps.
Carlos Sainz defended aggressively, pushing Charles Leclerc off the track near turn 14. Leclerc immediately expressed the need to discuss Sainz’s risky defensive move, which could have resulted in a potential accident.
After the race, Leclerc stated that they had talked about it and resolved the issue. However, Sainz later revealed that they did not have the opportunity to discuss and resolve things. Both drivers have had close encounters while fighting for positions in the past.
The reality is we didn’t have the chance to talk, as there is little time for communication in this format. We will probably do that tonight.
The conflicting statements from both drivers sparked a lot of discussion, as it is highly unusual. Both emphasized that the incident is now in the past and their focus is on maximizing the team’s result in Sunday’s race in Shanghai.
Although Sainz did not have the opportunity to talk to Leclerc about the sprint race incident, he believes it was not excessive. He shared his thoughts on the intense competition between the two drivers.
There is nothing remarkable about it. We were competing hard during the sprint. We were also competing hard against other cars, and I didn’t complain. It’s a matter of keeping as much space as possible with your teammate, which I always strive to do throughout my career.
The 29-year-old driver acknowledged that there was nothing remarkable about his battle with Leclerc. He also mentioned that he may have been overly aggressive due to the damage to the floor he suffered in a previous fight. With all this in mind, all eyes will be on the two SF-24s during tomorrow’s Chinese Grand Prix.
