Charles Leclerc was furious with teammate Carlos Sainz at the end of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, after the Spaniard ignored team orders and claimed the final podium spot.
Ferrari had told Sainz to hold station behind Leclerc after the pair made their final pit stops, but the Spaniard seemingly swooped past his teammate to take the position.
Before that, Sainz had let Leclerc pass just before his pit stop but was told by his engineer to stay out as the Ferrari mechanics were not ready in his pit box. A frustrated Sainz stayed out for an extra lap and then pitted, before emerging behind Leclerc and using his fresh tyres to attack his teammate.
Leclerc was later fuming in an expletive-ridden rant to his engineer Bryan Bozzi after the race, in which he blamed himself for being too nice and appeared to criticise the team’s decisions.
Discussing the scenario on his latest livestream after the Las Vegas GP, Peter Windsor explained why he thinks Leclerc was ranting to his team.
Peter Windsor explains ‘build up of emotion’ Charles Leclerc radio message
Ferrari has improved its strategy this year with changes made to the backroom staff and process since the arrival of Frederic Vasseur, but the race in Las Vegas suggests there is still more work to be done.
Leclerc effectively lost out on a podium with the position swapping, having challenged George Russell earlier in the race for the win. Although it was not clear who his outburst was aimed at, Windsor feels it was done out of frustration with the situation.
“What was that all about? I think he felt that at one point he had given position to Carlos and it hadn’t really paid off, and maybe he should’ve got the position back in the end. But that would have detracted from Carlos’ performance, he deserved that P3 because he drove really well,” said Windsor.
“If you take a broader view, I think that’s more that things aren’t quite going the way at Ferrari that Charles would like them to go. Really, with Sainz the unloved driver who is being told to leave, at this stage Charles should be the key number one driver. With Carlos winning Mexico and then Las Vegas, it’s just a build-up of emotion and this isn’t how it’s supposed to be.”
Charles Leclerc drops points in battle with Lando Norris
Leclerc will be unhappy that he conceded position to Sainz because it meant that he dropped potential points from Lando Norris in the battle for second in the Drivers’ Championship.
Heading into the final two races they are just separated by 21 points, however that could have been 18 points if Leclerc finished ahead of Sainz.
| Position | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 403 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | 340 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | 319 |
Leclerc will no doubt fancy his chances at both Qatar and Abu Dhabi where Ferrari has previously done well, although the team will also be looking at their Constructors’ Championship chances.
Ferrari currently sits in second and is only 29 points ahead of Red Bull, who have dropped a lot of points since the summer break due to poor performances by Sergio Perez.
