Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Clash After Difficult Spanish Grand Prix

Zach Koons | Jun 24, 2024

Leclerc and Sainz were seemingly at odds over a squabble in the early laps of the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix. / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz found themselves in conflict following Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix after an early clash between the two Ferrari teammates saw them make contact and ultimately go on to lackluster finishes, well behind race winner Max Verstappen.

Leclerc started the race one spot ahead of Sainz, but quickly found himself under pressure as he sought to manage a pair of new soft tires in the opening laps. Sainz approached him into Turn 1 on Lap 3 and swung around the outside, ultimately brushing against his teammate’s car before bouncing off the track and taking position ahead of Leclerc.

Though the contact didn’t seem to hinder either driver for the remainder of the race, Leclerc finished fifth and Sainz ended in sixth—the exact positions the two began the afternoon following a disappointing qualifying session on Saturday.

However, the tension only rose following the race when Leclerc and Sainz shared seemingly conflicting opinions on the incident, as well as the team’s orders for the afternoon.

“It’s a shame as the team had told us before the race to save the tires at this moment in this race and I was doing exactly that in the last corner, which is a really good corner to save,” Leclerc said.

The 26-year-old Monegasque driver attempted to downplay the incident but then said that Sainz “did the corner like I was not there.”

“I understand it’s his home race and a very important moment of his career and he wanted to do something spectacular, and I probably wasn’t the right person to do that with,” Leclerc continued.

Leclerc on the contact with Sainz: "He wanted to do something spectacular considering the moment in his career but he damaged my race. It was not fair and not correct."#SpanishGP #SpainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/PPO3z5GQ3K

— Paul McGinnes 🏁 (@PaulMcG92) June 23, 2024

Sainz was told of Leclerc’s comments during his own post-race interview and seemed visibly bothered by his teammate’s assessment.

“I think too many times he complains after a race about something. Obviously hot, he might think that,” Sainz said. “Honestly, at this point of the season I don’t know. I was on the attack, we were on a new soft, Mercedes were on a used soft and we had to go on the attack in the first laps when you are on a new tire and try to pass them, like we said even before the race.

“I passed Charles because I don’t know if he did [make] a mistake or [if] he was managing a bit too much.”

Sainz, who will leave Ferrari to make way for Lewis Hamilton at the end of the season, is poised to make a decision on his home for next year in a matter of weeks. Among the leading options are Sauber (which will become Audi in 2026) and Williams, though ESPN reports that Alpine has also entered the race to sign the 29-year-old Spaniard.

However, Sainz isn’t going anywhere just yet and will need to co-exist with Leclerc at the bare minimum if Ferrari hopes to pose any real threat to Red Bull by season’s end. The teammates will have just a short time to smooth things over before returning to the track this weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix.