Leclerc: “Sainz and I hated each other, but I’ll miss him”

by VALERIO BARRETTA

Leclerc-Sainz, a relationship of highs and lows

In Formula 1 it is rare to find friends, especially in your teammates. Charles Leclerc he never claimed to become one of Carlos Sainz but simply sought “good neighborly” relationships. Which in the four years as teammates he substantially had, even if the bond with the Spaniard experienced very difficult Sundays, especially for some episodes on the track.

Leclerc’s words

“I will miss Carlos as a person. We get along very well, unfortunately in this world everything is analyzed and criticized excessively, but we have always had a good relationship“, he added to Beyond The Grid. “We share many interests and there are memories that I will carry with me forever. Wearing the helmet, there were moments when I hated him and he hated me, because we didn’t see things the same way.. But then everything gets fixed by talking to each other“.

“In my career, at least in Formula 1, I have been lucky enough to always find myself with teammates who are very open to discussionable to separate what was happening on the track from the relationship off the track. It happened with Marcus Ericsson, Sebastian Vettel and now with Carlos. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad relationship with a teammate, but I think that’s also part of my character“.

Leclerc then described his bond with Sainz and how this did not influence his choice to go to Williams: “I have a great relationship with Carlos. When you make these kinds of decisions, obviously the teammate is not the first one he talks to. He mostly talked to his father and the team around him, but we talked and sometimes he asked me what I would do.“, these are the words at the press conference in Zandvoort. “At the same time, we remain competitors, so there is always a balance between the friendship that binds us and those moments when he opened up to me, while for the actual decision he spoke more with his team, which is completely normal. We had some of these discussions, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t influence his choices.“.