Ferrari tension: Leclerc unhappy with Sainz overtake strategy at Spanish GP

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Leclerc criticizes Sainz after on-track clash at Spanish GP

BARCELONA, Spain — The tension between Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz reached new heights at the Spanish Grand Prix. Leclerc felt Sainz was attempting "something a bit spectacular" to impress both interested teams and his home crowd when the duo clashed on the track.

The incident occurred when Sainz made an aggressive move, passing Leclerc around the outside of the first corner at the start of the third lap. As they hit the apex, Leclerc's front wing clipped Sainz's right rear tire, causing damage to his car.

"We had a clear strategy at the beginning of the race with the team to both save tyres to attack late on," Leclerc said post-race. "Carlos on that lap didn't do any saving in Turn 14 and of course had an opportunity to overtake in Turn One, which is a bit of a shame because we lost time between us. I damaged my front wing because Carlos didn't see that I was on the inside, and that makes our race more difficult."

Leclerc suggested that Sainz's actions might have been driven by the significance of his home race and the pressures of his career. "I didn't understand the point of doing that when it was clearly stated that we had to save in this part of the race," Leclerc added. "It's a bit unnecessary, but I also understand that it's his home race, and it's also an important moment of his career, so I guess he wanted to do something a bit spectacular, but I probably wasn't the right person to do that with."

Despite the clash, Leclerc managed to finish ahead of Sainz, as the pair settled for distant fifth and sixth positions.

Immediately after stepping out of their cars, footage showed Leclerc and Sainz having a heated conversation. When speaking to the media later, Sainz seemed uninterested in Leclerc's perspective on the incident.

"I think too many times he complains after a race about something. Obviously hot, he might think that," Sainz responded. "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 tyre and try to pass them, like we said even before the race. I passed Charles because I don't know if he made a mistake or he was managing a bit too much."

The internal friction at Ferrari is certainly one to watch as the season progresses.

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