Daily News 19

Tag: Teammate rivalry

  • “It’s always the same” – Carlos Sainz weighs in on Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s Monza clash

    “It’s always the same” – Carlos Sainz weighs in on Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s Monza clash

    Carlos Sainz has drawn on his four years as Charles Leclerc’s teammate at Ferrari to downplay any lingering tension between Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton following their collision at the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.

    Sainz and Leclerc were evenly matched during their stint together at the Scuderia from 2021 to 2024, with Sainz accumulating 900.5 points to Leclerc’s 1,029. That parity occasionally sparked on-track friction, such as at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix where Sainz accused the Monegasque of complaining too much after contact while overtaking in Barcelona. However, the pair always resolved disagreements internally, a dynamic Sainz believes Leclerc and Hamilton must now replicate.

    Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

    Sainz: Conflict Is Normal Between Competitive Teammates

    Speaking in Madrid on Thursday, Sainz emphasized that clashes are inevitable when two top drivers share a garage.

    It’s none of my business, but I can tell you that when you have two competitive team-mates, these kind of situations are always going to happen.

    Me with Charles, always twice, two or three times a year, we always had a bit of a discussion or an argument, but after the race or the morning after we would call each other and sort it out.

    So yeah, I think it’s normal when you’re fighting for podiums or wins in a competitive team and there’s situations into turn one or situations fighting the race or with strategy, you always end up one day being not happy with the way it’s been handled and the next day maybe you’ve been favoured.

    It’s always the same case and I don’t know the way it’s being handled right now, but when I was there in Ferrari with Charles, we would always sort it out among each other and we would get on with it and yeah, we had a good time.

    Monza Collision: Diverging Accounts

    At Monza, Leclerc forced Hamilton into the gravel at the start, allowing Leclerc to retain third while Hamilton dropped to tenth after crashing at Parabolica on lap two. Post-race, Leclerc accepted shared blame, claiming we went too far, but Hamilton firmly rejected that narrative.

    I was ahead in Turn 2, by the apex I was ahead, there was no ‘we’ in it.

    Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

    Hamilton expanded on his perspective, defending his racing ethics and pointing to team leadership.

    Look, I don’t race dirty, he added at Monza. I’ve always raced clean and fairly and always left space.

    I’ve come into the team and tried to be respectful of space and definitely not put the team in jeopardy. I stand by that and all I can talk about is on my side. You have to speak to Fred [Vasseur, team principal] about the other side and decisions that are taken there.

    Ultimately it comes from the top. It trickles down, decisions. It starts with Fred. There’s only so much you can say, so much you can push and shout from the mountain top.

    Yesterday, I said we’ve got to look at how we communicate. If we continue to travel the same path, we get the same result. We keep getting the same result.

    Hamilton Questions Ferrari’s Rules of Engagement

    The Monza incident is the latest flashpoint in a season where Hamilton has repeatedly criticized Ferrari’s operational execution. At Zandvoort, he was frustrated by a lack of team orders while running behind Leclerc, a scenario he felt cost him a podium finish. Ferrari now trails Mercedes by 122 points in the Constructors’ Championship.

    Hamilton contrasted the current environment with his Mercedes tenure, where clear protocols governed teammate battles.

    I think it comes down to rules of engagement, said Hamilton in Italy. When I was at Mercedes, we had a written rule of engagement.

    We never really had it too bad. Maybe moments with me and Nico [Rosberg] a couple of times. But more often than not it was good. Here, there are no rules.

  • Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc Monza Clash: What Doesn’t Make Sense

    Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc Monza Clash: What Doesn’t Make Sense

    Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s on-track clash and post-race tension at Monza follows a familiar pattern in Formula 1 history, yet the underlying motive remains unusually opaque. While teammate rivalries are a staple of the sport, the Ferrari duo’s current friction lacks the clear championship stakes that defined the sport’s most famous feuds.

    Historical Context: When Rivals Fight for the Title

    The great teammate battles — Ayrton Senna versus Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell versus Nelson Piquet, Mark Webber versus Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg versus Hamilton — all ignited when both drivers had machinery capable of winning the world championship. In those eras, the title depended almost entirely on beating the person across the garage.

    Consider the most recent parallel. In Hamilton’s first Mercedes season (2013), the W04 yielded one win for him and two for Rosberg. The car was not a title contender, and their relationship remained cordial. Everything shifted in 2014 when Mercedes’ hybrid power unit arrived; suddenly the ultimate prize was at stake, and the pair transitioned from sharing pizza in Monaco to an intense rivalry extending well beyond the circuit.

    No Championship, No Contracts, No Financial Pressure

    With Leclerc and Hamilton, the incentives are missing. Ferrari’s public ambition notwithstanding, the 2025 season’s results and standings make a credible world-title challenge difficult to argue. Neither driver is fighting for a 2027 seat — both have long-term deals secured — and both command salaries that render a “fighting over crumbs” narrative, joked about in the Monza paddock, entirely wide of the mark.

    Crucially, both are employed by Ferrari to deliver for Ferrari. As established stars, they are expected to prioritize the team’s interests, especially when the car cannot realistically contest a championship.

    Shifting Dynamics: From Frustration to Form

    Hamilton spent much of 2025 absorbing frustration while Leclerc consistently outperformed him. Having rediscovered his pace, the seven-time champion now appears keen to make a statement — to the paddock and to his teammate. Conversely, Leclerc’s stock rose sharply last year on the back of that superiority; twelve months later, Hamilton leads comfortably in the championship table, altering the internal pecking order.

    This need to prove oneself against a teammate typically drives midfield battles, where a single podium can define a season and job security is fragile. For two veterans with secured futures, beating each other at all costs should be a lower priority.

    Vasseur’s Next Move

    The onus now falls on team principal Frédéric Vasseur. He met both drivers in his Monza office before the race, but a follow-up discussion appears necessary. The principle is straightforward: team interests must supersede individual ambitions, particularly when the prize is not a world championship.

    A rivalry can be an asset when it propels a team toward success. When no title is at stake and the friction begins to undermine collective performance, it becomes just another problem — and Ferrari already carries enough of those.