Carlos Sainz knows from his own experience what sort of problems can arise with Charles Leclerc, but the pair have always managed to resolve their differences
Carlos Sainz has drawn on his own experiences at Ferrari to play down a potential conflict between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc following the Italian Grand Prix. Sainz and Leclerc were team-mates at Scuderia from 2021 to 2024, before the Spaniard moved to Williams for 2025 after being replaced by seven-time world champion Hamilton.
During those four years, the pair often competed on equal terms, which occasionally led to heated moments on the track. At the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix, for example, Sainz accused the Monegasque of “whingeing too much” after the Spaniard had made contact with his team-mate during an overtaking manoeuvre in Barcelona.
However, as usual, the pair subsequently resolved their differences internally – which is exactly what Leclerc must now do with Hamilton following the Italian Grand Prix: “It’s none of my business, mind you, but I can tell you this: when you have two ambitious team-mates, situations like that are bound to happen,” says the Spaniard.
“Charles and I would have a discussion or an argument two or three times a year. But after the race or the next morning, we’d give each other a call and sort things out.”
According to Sainz, however, this is completely normal: “When you’re fighting for podium places or victories in a competitive team and situations arise at Turn 1, during the race or regarding strategy, one day you might be unhappy with how things were handled, and the next you might be given preferential treatment.”
“ It’s always the same. I don’t know how it’s handled these days, but when I was at Ferrari with Charles, we always sorted it out between ourselves, put it behind us and had a good time in the end.”
There had been minor disagreements between Leclerc and Hamilton at Monza after Hamilton had been forced into the gravel trap at Turn 2. Hamilton had complained that there were no rules at Ferrari. However, following a discussion, the two have made up.