Charles Leclerc opens up on Carlos Sainz ‘friction’ as Ferrari exit door looms

Charles Leclerc’s partnership with Carlos Sainz will end at the close of F1 2024

Charles Leclerc has admitted that “sometimes there is friction” between himself and Carlos Sainz as the Spaniard prepares to leave for Williams for F1 2025.

Sainz announced last week that he will join Williams next season, having been informed last winter that he will be replaced by seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari in F1 2025.

Charles Leclerc lifts lid on Carlos Sainz relationship at Ferrari

Sainz has been a popular member of the Ferrari team since replacing Sebastian Vettel at the start of 2021, with team principal Fred Vasseur taking the unusual step of issuing a statement after his switch to Williams was made official.

Leclerc and Sainz have established a productive partnership over the course of nearly four full seasons as team-mates, yet tensions between them seemed to rise at the recent Spanish Grand Prix after a close moment on track.

Sainz claimed after the race that Leclerc “claims too much” with the flashpoint coming after another scuffle between the pair in the sprint race in China earlier in the season.

Speaking to Belgian radio station RTBF, Leclerc admitted he does have moments of “friction” with Sainz, yet insisted the pair are always able to talk through their differences.

Charles Leclerc vs Carlos Sainz: F1 2024 team-mates compared

 F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying record between team-mates

 F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

He said: “It’s normal that sometimes there is friction.

“Carlos and I don’t always agree on what happens on the track and managing adrenaline is not easy, but the important thing is to be able to discuss it when the race is over.

“Over the radio it seems like there is always tension, but it’s not like that.”

Leclerc’s comments come after Sainz told media including PlanetF1.com at the Austrian Grand Prix that “little ding dongs” with his team-mate are “always going to be there” due to the nature of competition.

Following a strong start to the season, culminating in victories for Sainz and Leclerc in Australia and Monaco respectively, Ferrari has faded in recent months with the team slipping behind Mercedes in the race behind Red Bull and McLaren.

Leclerc admitted that Ferrari are currently in a “difficult situation” after major upgrades had the side effect of reawakening the bouncing phenomenon commonplace with ground-effect cars.

However, he vowed that the team will “do everything” to come back stronger in the second half of the season, with Vasseur setting a “clear target.”

He said: “We know we are in a difficult situation, but we will do everything to get back to the front.

“We are working well with the team and the relationship with Vasseur is really good, you don’t need too many words to understand each other.

“The target is clear for everyone and we want to show what we can do.”

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