Carlos Sainz has weighed in on the tension between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton after their Italian Grand Prix clash. The Williams driver, who spent four years alongside Leclerc at Ferrari, believes such friction between competitive teammates is inevitable.
“It's none of my business, but I can tell you that when you have two competitive teammates, these kinds of situations are always going to happen,” Sainz said in Madrid on Thursday. “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.”
The Monza incident occurred at the race start when Leclerc forced Hamilton onto the gravel, dropping the Briton to 10th while Leclerc went on to finish third despite crashing at the Parabolica on lap two. After the race, Leclerc said both sides were to blame, but Hamilton strongly disagreed. “I was ahead in Turn 2, by the apex I was ahead, there was no ‘we’ in it,” Hamilton said. “I don't race dirty. I've always raced clean and fairly and always left space.”
Hamilton's comments hinted at dissatisfaction with team decisions or strategy, suggesting that calls come from the top and trickle down. This has fueled speculation about internal dynamics at Ferrari, especially after Hamilton replaced Sainz for 2025.
Sainz admitted that clashes with Leclerc were common when fighting for podiums or wins. “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,” he added. “We had a good time.”
The Monza incident is under scrutiny because it involved two top drivers with clean reputations. Both Leclerc and Hamilton are fiercely ambitious, and Ferrari is under pressure to perform. Team management, led by Frederic Vasseur, must now defuse the tension to avoid affecting the rest of the season.
For Sainz, his experience with Leclerc gives him perspective that teammate conflicts are part of racing. He stressed the importance of communication and internal resolution. “I don't know how it's being handled now, but when I was there, we always sorted it out,” he concluded.
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