- Charles Leclerc finished behind Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz in Sin City
- The Monegasque was furious at having to play the ‘nice’ and ‘respectful’ role again.
- His rant hints at a possible fight with Ferrari’s new man Lewis Hamilton
Charles Leclerc went on a tirade after finishing fourth at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, in what his soon-to-be Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton may see as a smoldering warning.
The Monegasque driver was on course for a podium finish in Sin City, but missed out when he was overtaken by his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz, who finished third behind the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Hamilton.
Hamilton, 39, will team up with Leclerc at the Scuderia from the start of next season, ending his fruitful 12-year spell in the Silver Arrows.
Leclerc, who started behind Sainz on the grid, quickly overtook Pierre Gasly and then his Ferrari teammate to take a promising position during the early stages of the race.
After the pair were called to the pits, Leclerc came out narrowly ahead of the Spaniard and was told by the team that Sainz would not pass him or pressure him.
But the driver looked like a fool when Sainz floored the accelerator and overtook him to third position, claiming a lead he would maintain until the end of the race.
Charles Leclerc launched a tirade after finishing fourth in the Las Vegas Grand Prix
His tirade could be seen as an ominous warning to Ferrari’s new man, Lewis Hamilton.
Leclerc was furious at having to play “well all the time” with teammate Carlos Sainz.
“Maybe try in Spanish,” Leclerc told Ferrari engineer Bryan Bozzi, highlighting that Sainz had not followed his instructions.
After the race, he went on a rude tirade over the Ferrari radio, clearly furious at his role at Ferrari alongside Sainz, who will soon depart for Williams.
As Bozzi thanked Leclerc for “doing his job,” the 27-year-old said: “Yes, I did my job.”
‘But be nice to me all the time. All the damn time.
“It’s not even being nice, it’s just being respectful. I know I need to shut up, but at one point it’s always the same thing, so… oh my God.”
When his voice seemed to disappear, Bozzi asked Leclerc to answer again, which only seemed to enrage the driver even more.
‘Damn, choose whatever the fuck you want. And the radio is on, I’m sorry,’ he continued.
Tension between Ferrari teammates has been high this season and the arrival of seven-time world champion Hamilton will not give Leclerc any confidence about his role at the Scuderia.
The 27-year-old left the pits before Sainz, but was quickly overtaken by his Ferrari teammate.
Hamilton took second place on the podium and celebrated with race winner George Russell.
Sainz, who finished third on the podium, leaves Ferrari to join Williams starting next season
Hamilton, who left Mercedes in the hope that a new environment could bring him one step closer to an elusive eighth F1 world title, hopes to be Ferrari’s number one next season, which no doubt spells bad news for Leclerc given his own championship prospects.
It appears that, after struggling to strike a balance with Sainz this season, Leclerc will head into next campaign with Hamilton determined not to play Mr. Nice Guy at Ferrari.
Despite finishing behind Leclerc, Max Verstappen claimed his fourth consecutive world title on Saturday, fending off an impressive challenge from Lando Norris with McLaren.
Given Red Bull’s lack of pace towards the end of the season, Ferrari will feel they have every chance of challenging for the title next season, especially with two highly competent drivers in the cockpits.