The Las Vegas evening sparkled with loads of drama throughout the penultimate spherical of the 2024 championship. The sparks from the vehicles on the Strip’s asphalt had been undoubtedly charming, however the ones ignited inside Ferrari had been equally intense. These stemmed from an alleged violation of workforce orders by Carlos Sainz, which left Charles Leclerc fuming. The tensions had been possible exacerbated by Ferrari’s disappointing weekend: the SF-24 struggled considerably, with poor tire efficiency and low temperatures. Consequently, the workforce was outpaced by Mercedes and needed to accept third and fourth locations, although they did handle to cut back their hole to McLaren within the constructors’ standings.
The battle for the rostrum introduced Ferrari’s two drivers into battle. Charles Leclerc, at the least primarily based on the data accessible, appeared extra compliant with workforce orders, whereas Carlos Sainz, it appears, violated an settlement by overtaking Charles, infuriating the Monegasque driver. Workforce radio exchanges had been heated, each on the second pit cease and after the race. Upon pitting for arduous tires, Charles Leclerc returned to the monitor reassured by the workforce that “Carlos has been instructed to not overtake.” However actuality performed out otherwise: Carlos Sainz, with hotter tires after a pit cease delayed because of unprepared mechanics, overtook Charles Leclerc on his out-lap and secured the rostrum. This escalation in pressure culminated in post-race discussions, though switching their positions wouldn’t have altered the ultimate consequence for Ferrari.
The tensions, fueled by particular person ambitions and never new to this pairing, ought to have been anticipated by Ferrari. The workforce, nonetheless, additionally bears some duty. It’s not arduous to see why Carlos Sainz would possibly ultimately act in his personal curiosity, significantly after spending the 12 months because the workforce’s lame-duck driver, making means for Lewis Hamilton. Carlos Sainz’s therapy—marked by the farce of a renewal on the finish of 2023, a scarcity of recognition for years of labor throughout robust instances, and a pressured transfer to Williams—could not have sat effectively with the Spaniard. Dealing with the top of his Ferrari journey, Sainz would possibly now be prioritizing his pursuits, even at the price of upsetting his teammate or stirring discontent throughout the workforce.
This obvious shift in Carlos Sainz’s strategy, or maybe only a sharpening of his typical type, was mentioned by Leo Turrini in his weblog *”Profondo Rosso.”* Leo Turrini touched briefly on the Las Vegas tensions however highlighted an intriguing angle: Ferrari, in its resolution to welcome Hamilton, had to decide on between letting go of Carlos Sainz or Charles Leclerc. The selection fell on the Spaniard, reportedly because of sure behaviors that didn’t sit effectively with the corporate’s management.
“Am I siding with Sainz or Leclerc? […] Each Carlitos and Carletto have causes and faults, as I’ve defined. The workforce wasn’t harmed in Nevada. […] It was clear, nonetheless, that one Ferrari driver didn’t assist the opposite. That stated, […] I ask those that declare to be staunch Sainz supporters: don’t you marvel why the corporate, when selecting to wager on Hamilton, opted to maintain Leclerc over Sainz? Can’t you see that one thing concerning the Spaniard’s conduct over time didn’t sit proper? […] This isn’t about whether or not signing Lewis was the suitable name. […] However whoever introduced in Hamilton selected to drop Carlos over Charles.”
Whereas these tensions will quickly come to an finish, they elevate important questions on Ferrari’s future and the concord of its 2025 driver lineup. If Leclerc has struggled this a lot with Sainz’s presence, how will he deal with coexisting with Lewis Hamilton, who surpasses him in each metric—from profession achievements to fame, charisma, and expertise?
“If Leclerc has suffered psychologically this a lot with Sainz, […] how will he deal with sharing the workforce with a legend like Lewis Hamilton? That’s the actual query. You would possibly suppose Lewis isn’t as dominant in qualifying anymore, however then he pulls off a race like Las Vegas…”
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