Charles Leclerc’s Las Vegas Grand Prix involved a lot of position-swapping and a little bit of chaos after he finished fourth.
Trailing teammate Carlos Sainz at the finish line by just over two seconds, many thought that both Ferrari drivers performed well in the cooler conditions.
They weren’t quite as impressive as they were the year prior, but facing heavy graining, they were still the second-best team on the grid Saturday night.
But, the Monegasque driver wasn’t so pleased with how things panned out, resulting in a large outburst on his radio – which he didn’t realise he had left on.
Charles Leclerc ‘needs’ to emulate Jackie Stewart’s racing approach
Audibly upset with how things had panned out, Sainz had played the team game equally as much as him, which is why Leclerc’s anger was met with confusion in the paddock.
They won’t be teammates for much longer before Sainz heads to Williams for the next few years after being replaced by Lewis Hamilton.
Speaking to Cameron Cc: on YouTube, Peter Windsor shared his thoughts on Leclerc’s strong emotions in Vegas.
“Charles needs to work on not being so emotional,” he said. “He needs, he’s a bit too intelligent, isn’t he?
“He needs to do some Jackie Stewart stuff and read these boring novels before the race. And almost fall asleep and then get in the car and be devoid of emotion, and just drive like a robot.’”
How will Leclerc fare next to Hamilton in 2025?
If Sainz is pushing Leclerc to the edge without doing much on track, just imagine how much he might struggle next to a seven-time champion who is well-trained in mind games.
Hamilton has to come in and establish himself immediately, before echoes of him being ‘washed’ or past his best begin to return.
We’ve seen those a few times this season, which is a bit unfair considering that he has more spectacular performances within him.
READ MORE: Ferrari decide whether Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton will be given number one driver status
Not only was Vegas exceptional, but his British Grand Prix and Belgian Grand Prix drives were great too in a Mercedes car which has largely struggled this season.
The Scuderia will provide him with a faster car than he has had for a few seasons based on the current order of merit, but whether they can sustain that and develop well will matter a huge deal too.
All too many times have they started seasons well and faded away towards the end – winning the constructors’ championship in the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi would prove that trend may be a thing of the past.
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