Both Ferrari drivers were told to let each other past during the Las Vegas Grand Prix – and both were unhappy with how their team managed the situation.
Carlos Sainz Jnr took the chequered flag in third place ahead of Charles Leclerc. He fell behind his team mate on the first lap of the race but the pair swapped places three times over the course of the evening.The first two swaps occured under instructions from the team. The third, which ultimately decided their finishing order, came after Sainz had been told to stay behind Leclerc. He passed his team mate anyway, leading an unimpressed Leclerc to tell his race engineer they should have issued Sainz’s instruction in Spanish.
Leclerc took second place off Sainz at the start and briefly tried to attack George Russell for the lead before encountering heavy graining on his tyres. His race engineer told him “Carlos can overtake this lap” and Sainz duly took second place off him.
Ferrari also called Sainz in to pit at the same time. They cancelled the call at the last second and Sainz rejoined the circuit, eventually pitting on the next lap.
Leclerc pitted three laps after Sainz, on the 32nd tour. Ferrari advised him his team mate had been told not to overtake, but Leclerc came out of the pits so close to the other car that Sainz easily passed him immediately in the DRS zone approaching turn five.
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That set their positions to the end of the race. But afterwards Sainz was unhappy about the amount of time they had lost through swapping places, and his aborted pit stop.
“We were ahead of Lewis before that pit stop and I had been already a couple of laps asking to pit,” he told Sky. “So it meant that I think we lost quite a lot of race time.
“At the same time there was this situation where I had to let by Charles. I lost a lot of time there, I’m not going to lie, and I’m not happy about that.”
However Sainz doubts perfect race management would have allowed them to beat Hamilton or George Russell. “Mercedes was simply the quicker car today and probably one way or another they would have beaten us today. Podium and P4 I think was the maximum today.
“But I’m not happy because obviously the execution of the race, I think we can do a lot better than that, but it is what it is.”
“I don’t like using the radio to complain or to do anything,” he added. “I don’t like using the media to criticise or to demonstrate or to prove if I’m happy or not. I prefer to do that behind closed doors because there’s never good outcomes from these kind of comments in the media.
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“But obviously I’m the first one that I’m not happy, I was the first one trying to get out of the way by pitting and getting out of the way. The whole situation was a bit messy, and I’m the first one that is not happy, but this is what it is.”
“It’s frustrating, yes, however, it doesn’t change anything for the team. It’s a bit frustrating for the driver. Second place is always nice, but at the end of the day it’s okay.
“I think I did my part on the first stint obviously when I had tyres that were completely gone. I didn’t want to fight at that point, so I let Carlos [go] and then the rest we will discuss within the team. But I don’t want to go into details.”
“It’s not about favouring one [driver] or the other,” he added. “It’s about things that we have been told and that weren’t respected. But that’s all good.
“I’ve already said too much, so I don’t want to go into the details whatsoever. But it’s just frustrating when it’s like this, and it’s been frustrating for me. But I can understand that nobody understands that.”
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Sainz and Leclerc’s radio messages
Sainz’s second pit stop
Sainz did not immediately respond to Ferrari’s instructions to let Leclerc by, delaying the switch by up to a lap.
| Lap 25 | |
| Adami | Will go plan C. |
| Lap 26 | |
| Adami | Do not slow down Charles. |
| Sainz | If you want we can box this lap. |
| Adami | Copy, understood. |
| Sainz | Let’s get off these tyres [unclear]. |
| Adami | And let Charles by. And staying out for this lap. Still opening on Tsunoda. |
| Bozzi | We will swap cars into last corner. Sainz does not let Leclerc past at the last corner |
| Sainz | Who is behind Charles? |
| Adami | Hamilton. |
| Sainz | Let him by in turn five. |
| Leclerc | Leclerc responds to Sainz failing to let him through Nice swap. Amazing. |
| Lap 27 | |
| Bozzi | He said into turn five now. |
| Adami | Careful Hamilton right behind Charles. He’s half a second behind him. |
| Sainz | Copy. |
| Leclerc | Sainz doesn’t let Leclerc through at turn five Fuck’s sake, guys. Fuck’s sake. |
| Leclerc | He has to know I’m killing my front like this. Fucking stupid. |
Sainz urged Ferrari to bring him into the pits, but when they finally did, they cancelled the call at the last minute. He came in on the next lap.
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| Sainz | I’m going to lose time here. |
| Adami | Okay to box, box this lap. |
| Adami | Let Charles by, let Charles by and box. |
| Bozzi | He will let you by now. |
| Adami | Let him by in 14. Sainz lets Leclerc past at turn 14 |
| Adami | And box Carlos, box. Pit confirm and box. |
| Adami | Stay out! Stay out! Stay out! Sainz pulls out of the pit lane entrance and onto the track |
| Lap 28 | |
| Sainz | What happened? |
| Adami | We were not ready. |
| Bozzi | So Hamilton boxed and Verstappen boxed. You are now P2 Russell P1. |
| Sainz | Wake up, guys. Come on. |
| Sainz | Same flap, same flap and box, box now, pit confirm and box. |
Leclerc’s second pit stop
Ferrari left Leclerc out so long that once he pitted he came out close to Sainz again. Sainz was told not to pressure his team mate, but Ferrari told Leclerc he would not be overtaken by the other car. When Leclerc rejoined the track, Sainz was so close to him he was easily able to pass in the DRS zone.
| Lap 32 | |
| Bozzi | Watch the white line. Watch the white line and box, Charles, box. |
| Adami | Charles is boxing. |
| Bozzi | Carlos has been told to not overtake, but it’s really close. He might be just a front. |
| Bozzi | He has been told to not put you under pressure. |
| Adami | Do not put him under pressure. |
| Bozzi | Sainz passes Leclerc into turn five So just take care of your tyres. Focus on your tyres. |
| Leclerc | Maybe try in Spanish. |
Leclerc at the end of the race
A furious Leclerc fumed on his radio after finishing the race behind Sainz.
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| Victory lap | |
| Leclerc | Was that chequered flag? |
| Bozzi | Yes. |
| Bozzi | Pick up, please. |
| Leclerc | Yes, whatever you want, as always. |
| Bozzi | Charles, you did your job, okay. Thank you. |
| Leclerc | Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I did my job but being nice fucks me over all the fucking time, all the fucking time. It’s not even being nice, it’s just being respectful. |
| Bozzi | Charles, Charles… |
| Leclerc | I know I need to shut up but at one point it’s always the same, so… Oh my fucking god. |
| Bozzi | Okay. But anyway, you did the right thing for the team. |
| Bozzi | And pick up please. |
| Leclerc | Yeah, yeah, fucking pick up what the fuck we want… Shit, shit, shit. And the radio is on. I’m sorry, that was on me. |
| Leclerc | And where was McLaren, at least? |
| Bozzi | McLaren were P6 and P7, and we finished P4, Sainz P3, Verstappen P5. |
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2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix
- Vowles clarifies Colapinto’s claim he was concussed in Las Vegas crash
- Norris lost title because McLaren weren’t competitive enough early on – Stella
- Ferrari are now in their longest-ever championship drought
- F1 “was trying too hard” in first year at Las Vegas – Sainz
- 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend F1 driver ratings
Jere (@jerejj)
24th November 2024, 11:21
If only his expletive post-chequered flag comm were broadcasted.
SteveP
24th November 2024, 11:29
You jest, surely.
It would just give the Max fans something to complain about if there isn’t an immediate penalty
And then complain if the penalty isn’t the same or bigger than what Max got.
Much better idea to give Tsunoda or Alonso a penalty. Because.
Jere (@jerejj)
24th November 2024, 17:41
Literally, nothing to do with Max.
SteveP
24th November 2024, 18:06
Nothing to do with Tsunoda or Alonso either, but how many times have we heard various drivers ranting and nothing happens?
Would broadcasting all the rants enhance the race?
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
25th November 2024, 17:24
@jerejj Someone definitely did broadcast it, I’ve already seen multiple broadcasts of it. I think the world feed was a bit preoccupied with happier stories (winner and world champion), so I can understand it not appearing on the main broadcast.
Yes (@come-on-kubica)
24th November 2024, 12:40
More like it leclerc. Needs to lost it at Ferrari completely awful strategy today.
HAL
24th November 2024, 13:05
He might have kept the podium is Sainz had obeyed team order…. But Sainz was behind because of that botched pit stop that made him loose 5 Sec.
I’m happy Sainz overtook him ; Charles lost the podium because he was not fast enough, period.
Dane
24th November 2024, 18:29
He has every right to be mad when your teammate disobeys team instructions that negatively impact your race. Obviously Sainz doesn’t care anymore since he’s got one foot out the door.
Grace Smith
24th November 2024, 20:44
I think that if you follow the radio comments Sainz was told not to put Leclerc under pressure. He came out of the pits just behind him and overtook immediately, so didn’t put him under pressure. If they meant don’t overtake then why didn’t they say so.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
25th November 2024, 17:22
Grace Smith, it was not an immediate overtake and Sainz absolutely did put Leclerc under pressure. Piastri slowed down to give Norris space to pit; Ferrari would have asked for the same.
HAL
24th November 2024, 21:07
Yeah, as you have every right to be mad when your team wreck your race. Why exactly would Sainz play ball ? As long as there is not negative consequence for the team, why would he be mister nice guy and let what could be his last podium go away ?
Dane
24th November 2024, 21:50
They were battling Hamilton with Hamilton and Carlos had old tires but he ignored orders for several corners needlessly destroying his teammates front and risking Hamilton getting them both, which he ultimately did. Later on Charles came out of the pits with new tires and could’ve tried to go after Russel again, but Sainz ignored orders and again the car with the older tires was in front. Maybe they still wouldn’t have got the win, but they might’ve at least got 2nd had Sainz allowed the team to maximize their tire advantage. At a moment when every point counts for the constructors title, Sainz could only think of himself.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
25th November 2024, 17:23
HAL, Sainz had already wrecked his own race had the regulations been applied. No point wrecking (further) the one driver whose race might have been salvageable without recourse to hoping for clemency.
Palindnilap (@palindnilap)
24th November 2024, 14:00
Making one of your driver feel that he was treated unfairly, everybody can do that. But making both your drivers feel they were treated unfairly requires a special talent.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
24th November 2024, 17:35
@palindnilap lol, cotd by far.
Grapmg
24th November 2024, 14:27
Better stop being mister nice guy. I Don’t think Lewis joined Ferrari to follow teamorders expect him to be more ruthless than Sainz.
Tristan
24th November 2024, 17:58
Leclerc comes off like Webber in multi21. If he was faster he should have been able to take the place back. But instead he will just have a bit of a cry about his team mate not following what was agreed.
Never like this part of F1.
SteveP
24th November 2024, 18:17
Quite so. It’s not like either of them is in the running for the WDC, and neither had the pace to match either Mercedes driver.
They finished 4th and 5th – would reversing that to 5th and 4th make a difference?
SteveP
24th November 2024, 18:39
[sigh] 3rd and 4th …
BMW P85 V10
24th November 2024, 19:13
For Leclerc to chalenge Norris for P2 in the WDC it does.
And I believe they finished 3rd & 4th.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
25th November 2024, 17:21
Leclerc had reason to think he could have got to Hamilton, had he been allowed to run his race in a way that made sense to him, instead of having it determined by a team-mate who thought 3rd was the highest result possible.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
25th November 2024, 17:20
Not if Ferrari’s put out instructions to not attempt a pass without permission, which I understand happened following Sainz nearly crashing Leclerc out at the US Grand Prix sprint. Leclerc was going as fast as he believed he would be allowed to go.
Dex
24th November 2024, 21:21
Why do most of these F1 drivers sound like they are still 12?
Tristan
24th November 2024, 22:35
Probably because when you’re using every ounce of energy to drive a car to its maximum, at that incredible speed, you don’t have time to consider carefully every word said, let alone make fair assessments of what’s happening. Add to that the required hubris to even be in that position.
Roy Beedrill
25th November 2024, 4:57
Is being honest with yourself such a bad thing? I bet there were times you’ve felt the same, but was too shy to say it out loud. No good for mental health either.
MichaelN
25th November 2024, 9:15
Two reasons. One, they’re strapped into a monster of a machine racing 300km/h through downtown. Second, they’ve not had a normal childhood, they’ve always been seen as special (with reason, it’s why they’re in F1) and became millionaires at 20 with a team of managers, pr representatives, personal trainers, etc. surrounding them at every step. That they’re even remotely normal is already a huge win.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
25th November 2024, 17:17
Because that’s what the FIA rewards.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
25th November 2024, 17:18
(Plus, not all of the radio we got was intended for our ears – at least some of it has been known to be said when the driver in question thought the radio was off).
pastaman
24th November 2024, 22:55
“Maybe try in Spanish” – that gave me a chuckle
Ankita
25th November 2024, 9:03
Someone should have told him in French to stop crying and be faster ?
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
25th November 2024, 17:17
Leclerc was going “faster”. However, Ferrari didn’t want a crash, and the way Sainz has been driving recently, that was a serious risk. Better to preserve the car for when intra-team collision isn’t a risk.
If you didn’t like Leclerc’s pace on Sunday, look at Sainz and then look at Ferrari. Between them, Sainz and Ferrari are the entire explanation.
Sam Crawford
24th November 2024, 23:01
If Ferrari didn’t botch Sainz’ pitstop then he would have been a lot close to Hamilton and way ahead of Leclerc, so Charles should count himself lucky he could even see Carlos’ rear wing at the end of the race
Applebook
25th November 2024, 2:21
Charles might be the most flawed driver on the grid. Incredibly fast but makes so many mistakes, has terrible race management, struggles often with tires, and never makes his own decisions. He’s also occasionally way off the pace too, unlike Lando or Russell. You never see those two be miles off the pace of their teammates on some tracks like we’ve seen from Leclerc. When those two are outpaced on rare occasions by their lesser teammates, they’re usually still competitive and respectable.
SteveP
25th November 2024, 17:10
Referring to the teammates as “lesser” is very dubious.
Osnola
26th November 2024, 15:08
But factual correct.
Sometimes facts hurt.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
25th November 2024, 17:16
Sainz botched Sainz’s pit stop, and had the regulations been followed, would have been 5 seconds further back. Unfortunately he was rewarded for his mistake, gaining 12 seconds compared to what Ocon did by following the regulations.
Grapmg
25th November 2024, 10:36
Lewis undercut both. I guess with a smarter strategy they could have kept at least one Ferrari (Sainz) in front of Lewis after the pitstops. It looked to me they wanted to favour Leclerc. Maybe Lewis was to fast anyway but it proofed difficult to overtake the Ferrari with the DRS. They gave away a second place very easy.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
25th November 2024, 17:14
Sainz did not, at any point, have the speed to meaningfully challenge Hamilton. He seemed to be more interested in messing up Leclerc’s race than building his own. Leclerc was the only driver on the grid who (however briefly) managed to challenge Russell. That tends to have an effect on strategy.
thegamer23
25th November 2024, 12:25
If Sainz can upset Leclerc, imagine what Lewis will do next year
mars
25th November 2024, 14:14
Sainz has always been and will continue to be the dirty man of small business. A driver who will not hesitate to back-stab his teammate or the team when he gets the chance. Although he is a very capable driver (not top-notch maybe, but close to the top), I think this is why he is not a popular driver, as F1 teams are aware of the situation.
Fact 1: As soon as his tires gave out, Charles let Carlos pass without causing any time loss to his teammate. There were no team orders at this time, but even without team orders, Sainz had the speed to pass Charles. In fact, Max easily passed Charles also later.
Fact 2: Carlos pitted later from his teammate and retuned to pist infront of Charles. Although he had fresher tires, Charles caught him quickly. The team ordered Sainz to let Charles pass, but he didn’t obey and kept his position for a lap and cost time and tire wear to Charles. In the meantime, he was crying for a pit stop as he was aware that this will let him undercut Charles.
Fact 3: Although it was Charles’ turn to pit earlier with older tires, Sainz continued to cry and forced the team to pit him earlier (which caused a pit stop confusion as well) and as a result, he undercut Charles. Actually, this was the real reason Charles was fuming, (he mentioned the things decided before the race like who will have the pit stop priority). If you remember Hungary race, there was a similar situation between McLaren drivers and in the end they ordered Noris to let his team-mate pass although he was the one having more points and fighting for wdc.
Fact 4: After the 2nd pit stop, Charles was quickly catching Sainz, but Carlos also caught Max and passed him. Carlos deliberately made Max use 4 or 5 laps of DRS. His sole purpose was to delay Charles from passing Max and thus secure his own ass, knowing that Charles was using his tires to dead to pass Max.
In conclusion, it was not right for Charles to cry like a baby on the radio because both he and the team are aware of what Carlos is made of. The truth and what is obvious to everyone, is that the Ferrari team is far from managing two teammates who are sneaky and wise like Carlos and fast like Charles but naive (sometimes to the point of stupidity). The funniest part of all is that Ferrari team managers still trust Carlos in the WCC, even though he is a fallen demon. Carlos cheats the Ferrari team without thinking if he convinces the conditions will not hurt his future. If it were me, I would have gone to the last two races with Bearman, even though I would have risked all the criticism, to show everyone that there is a serious authority at the helm of the team. Carlos’s helping Max to harm his teammate alone would be enough justification for this decision.
Finally, a little info for those who are confused about Charles’s talents.
Charles made things much harder for Carlos than any of his former teammates, including Max. The following data will help to understand this (statsf1).
Carlos vs Max
Starting grid 10-13……. 57% in favor of Max
Race 9-12……………….. 57% in favor of Max
Carlos vs Norris
Starting grid 18-20……. 53% in favor of Norris
Race 21-17……………….55% in favor of Carlos
Carlos vs Charles
Starting grid 30-58……. 66% in favor of Charles
Race 34-52……………….60% in favor of Charles
and a little extra note
Vettel vs Charles
Starting grid 25-13……. 66% in favor of Charles
Race 19-17……………….53% in favor of Charles
This data, of course, does not make Charles any better than other drivers (especially those who did not share the same team with him) but atleast enough to show he is a special talent capable of being WDC in a suitable car (like almost all those other world champions), and Carlos is not an opponent to be taken lightly by anyone.
MG1982 (@mg1982)
25th November 2024, 16:29
+1
SteveP
25th November 2024, 17:14
If you think that one through, you have to blame the team for not bringing him in for a pit-stop, which kept him in the way of Charles
MichaelN
25th November 2024, 19:53
Leclerc had better be well ahead of Sainz, he’s there to be Ferrari’s lead driver and he’s compensated very nicely for this.
Leclerc’s problem has never been a lack of speed. Rather, it’s that there are too many moments where he doesn’t turn that into points.
As we saw with Norris this year, if someone wants to beat the likes of Verstappen then they need to bring their A-game every time. Every single time.
Osnola
26th November 2024, 15:11
Reread your “fact 2”.
He pitted before lec and came before lec on track holding him up for a lap meanwhile adking for a pitstop. Thats impossible: refrase.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
25th November 2024, 17:13
I’d be more convinced about Sainz has he not complained about the Ferrari pit situation repeatedly and also had he not wasted a lot of time delaying his compliance with team orders (Sainz would have lost far less time if he’d used an earlier opportunity to release Leclerc). It felt like Carlos was trying to throw away his chances of a podium, and nearly succeeded. No wonder Charles was unhappy about being stuck behind him.
I guess this is what happens when a driver has no incentive to comply with team orders. I’m starting to wonder if that last overtake had anything to do with taking out a beef with Ferrari on the member of it that happened to be nearest to him. At this point, Carlos should be grateful that Ferrari (and, if Sunday was any sample, the FIA) cuts him as much slack as it does.