Carlos Sainz has admitted that he was pressured to endure insults from Charles Leclerc’s fan base throughout his time at Ferrari, as he provides an alternate tackle the continuing furore round his Mexico Metropolis GP conflict with Lewis Hamilton.
Leclerc and Hamilton’s first-lap conflict in Mexico final week left the Brit seething, as he felt it was the catalyst of the lack of a possible one-two for the Scuderia.
It led to Hamilton questioning the Monegasque’s mentality, and agreed to the speculation that Leclerc races his teammates more durable than he does some other driver.
Sainz has been cited for instance of that, the pair having raced for the Maranello-based squad collectively between 2021 and 2024.
However Sainz, talking forward of this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, spoke with fondness at his on-track battles with Leclerc.
“Actually, I’ve comparatively good recollections of my time with Charles and the fights we had,” he stated.
“It’s true that whenever you’re preventing for wins, there’s at all times extra stress, extra issues on the road, so that you naturally turn into a bit extra egocentric than if you find yourself preventing within the midfield for a P8 or a P9.
“It’s harder to observe precisely the perfect state of affairs that the crew would really like you to observe as a result of there’s a win on the road.
“There have been wins on the road again then, however I feel I at all times revered Charles. He at all times revered me. We by no means had contact or something like this – simply had sturdy fights.
“I feel you bear in mind Monza, Vegas. There have been loads of sizzling moments throughout the yr.”
Carlos Sainz reveals ‘hardcore’ Charles Leclerc followers ‘wishing me dangerous’
Within the midst of the continuing sub-plot of the season – surrounding on-line abuse geared toward drivers by fan bases of different drivers – Sainz’s solely bitter be aware on his time racing alongside Leclerc at Ferrari was the ‘insults’ he obtained because of this.
“I feel what was harder was that the PR and the fan base have been actually ignited again then,” he stated. “And it was very polarised between Charles and me, and I bear in mind struggling a bit from the very hardcore followers of Charles insulting me, or wishing me dangerous,” stated Sainz.
“Perhaps some Italian media have been additionally saying that I used to be not being sufficient of a quantity two after I wanted to be, and vice versa when Charles needed to do it.
“So it’s extra the stress surrounding Ferrari that includes Ferrari than the precise points that I had with Charles, which have been at all times resolved that very same night time after we referred to as one another with a cooler head, and we at all times managed to search out the answer and the way in which ahead.”
Leclerc has been absent from media duties this weekend having arrived from Brazil late as a result of delivery of his first little one.
Given Hamilton’s standing as an honoary citizen of Brazil, Leclerc could really feel pensive about going through the wrath from some sections of the gang this weekend.
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