Carlos Sainz shares what Charles Leclerc has done ‘behind closed doors’ after ‘very sassy’ radio messages

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are known for being fierce rivals while battling it out on track for Ferrari, which can sometimes lead to outbursts over team radio.

Leclerc recently hit out at Ferrari after the Las Vegas Grand Prix having lost out on a podium due to Sainz defying team orders. In an expletive-ridden rant, Leclerc said “I did my job” and alluded that “being nice” puts him on the backfoot.

Sainz was told not to overtake Leclerc, having been given priority in the pit stops. However, the Spaniard ignored the order after Ferrari was not ready in the pit box to receive him.

When Sainz piled the pressure on Leclerc, the Monogasque was assured by the team he wouldn’t pass which prompted him to quip “Maybe try in Spanish” to his engineer.

It showed how intense things can get between the pair, however, Sainz believes the team radio exchanges can often make things look ‘bigger’ than the actually are internally when discussing them on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

Carlos Sainz explains Charles Leclerc apologises behind close doors

Team radio in F1 is unique in that it gives fans access to what the drivers are saying in the heat of battle, something you don’t get in football or rugby.

While it offers great insight into how drivers feel in a particular moment, Sainz rightly highlights that it can often be misconstrued due to how intense an F1 race can be for drivers and explains why there is no feud between him and Leclerc.

“He knows he’s sometimes done things wrong and he’s apologized. We always find kind of a middle ground to move on. And yeah, I think radios don’t help,” said Sainz.

“Makes things bigger than it is. Then when we go back and we sit down with each other and we, let’s say, digest together what has happened because the radio is very intense. The radio is something that from home and for the media is very sassy.

“You know, you get all the intensity of the driver, of the how sorry for the word, how p—– off we are at the time and how angry we are. But then once that level of adrenaline comes down and when we are behind closed doors, things are a lot less heated than what you guys can imagine. And we managed to put things aside and move on.”

Ferrari fighting for Constructors’ Championship with McLaren

Ferrari heads into the final race of the season separated by just 21 points from McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship, with both vying to the become the first Constructor that isn’t Red Bull or Mercedes since Brawn took it in 2009.

For McLaren it will be the first time since 1998 and for Ferrari it will be 2008, and teamwork between drivers in both teams will be key.

Both Ferrari and McLaren have been evenly matched in the last four races, however McLaren has finished ahead by achiving podiums with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Ferrari will need to hope they can out-qualify McLaren on Saturday to get the best possible start for the race, and take the fight to them in the closing laps of the season.