Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, teammates at Ferrari, are driven by a strong determination to outperform each other, which intensifies their on-track battles, with the most memorable instance being the 2023 Monza race, where they almost clashed on the final lap.
Whenever Leclerc and Sainz engage in intense battles on the track, their passionate fans express their viewpoints on social media. Recently, after Sainz made a remark in an interview about admiring the talent of rival drivers, Leclerc’s fans took to Twitter and shared their disappointment through tweets and memes. While some argued that Sainz’s statement was sportsmanlike, others interpreted it as a subtle dig at Leclerc’s competitiveness, fueling the online firestorm.
Charles Leclerc fans launch fierce criticism
Carlos Sainz’s interview, in which he discusses leaving a space in racing, has gone viral on the internet. Sainz lightheartedly comments on how friendships in racing can affect competitive battles. He said he usually tends to leave half a cm of gap for Fernando Alonso and a full cm for ex-teammate Lando Norris.
Charles Leclerc’s fans didn’t react positively to his words and criticized him for not supporting Charles this season and for how he kept racing Charles every time he had the chance to let him off the hook.
A user named racingwithRo was furious at him: “So Sainz when defending will push Leclerc off track or often and repeatedly illegally move under braking but when defending against Ferrari’s rivals he’ll leave more space?”
Another user Rosemary was shocked at the fact that he still leaves space for Lando even though they aren’t teammates. “That can’t be a recent interview surely? Like yeah leave Lando more room when they were teammates at McLaren but not now.”
Both Charles and Carlos are top drivers, and it is obvious that there would be some competition between them. This year in particular, we noticed some great wheel-to-wheel battles between the Ferraris and respectful racing among the Maranello outfit’s drivers.
Former F1 team owner sees long-term Ferrari deal with Leclerc as positive move
Minardi was an old team that raced during the 90s in Formula 1, and it’s boss, Gian Carlo Minardi was an influential figure in racing during those times. Minardi was recently talking to the media about Charles Leclerc and his contract extension. The Monegasque racer is rumored to sign a long deal with Ferrari until 2029 with a massive salary hike, putting him on par with the top drivers on the grid.
“They are a good, close-knit team together,
” Minardi told media, “although it’s true they both made mistakes. I don’t know how much is their fault and how much is to overcome the machine’s difficulties, but those mistakes will serve to grow and improve Ferrari’s results.” Minardi seemed quite optimistic about Leclerc and Ferrari’s future together, and he is hopeful that they will be able to overcome the difficulties together.
Charles Leclerc was also praised by some prominent personalities in the paddock over his deal with Ferrari, and the Ferrari ace needs to prove them all right with his performance next year. Do you think Ferrari will be able to improve their season next year if they follow Sainz’s instructions?
