Williams driver Carlos Sainz says flashpoints between “two competitive teammates” are inevitable after a row broke out between Ferrari pair Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the Italian Grand Prix.
Hamilton was unhappy following last week’s race at Monza after a close call with Ferrari teammate Leclerc on the opening lap.
Carlos Sainz on Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc
Hamilton dived aggressively to the inside of Leclerc’s car on the approach to Turn 1, with the pair running side-by-side through the chicane.
With both drivers unwilling to cede ground, Hamilton ended up running through the gravel and losing a number of positions on the exit of the corner.
Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other media outlets after the race, Hamilton dismissed Leclerc’s claim that “we went too far” on the opening lap.
Hamilton said: “I was ahead in Turn 2. By the apex, I was ahead. There was no ‘we’ in it.”
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Sainz spent four years as Leclerc’s teammate at Ferrari between 2021 and 2024, with the pair experiencing a few tense moments.
Leclerc was memorably heard criticising Ferrari over team radio following the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix after Sainz appeared to ignore a team instruction by passing his teammate.
Sainz was replaced by Hamilton for 2025, with the Spaniard joining Williams.
Appearing in Thursday’s FIA press conference ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, Sainz revealed that he would have “two or three” arguments with Leclerc each season during his time at Ferrari, with the pair always able to move on afterwards.
Asked about the current situation between Hamilton and Leclerc, he told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “Some people say 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.
“Me with Charles, always 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 I think it’s normal when you’re fighting for podiums or wins in a competitive team and there’s situations into Turn 1, or situations in the race or with strategy, you always end up one day being not happy with the way it’s being 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.
“We had a good time.”
Sainz and Leclerc memorably came close to making contact in the closing stages of the 2023 Italian Grand Prix at Monza as they fought over the final podium position.
Sainz prevailed after Leclerc locked up spectacularly under braking and nearly struck his teammate from behind.
The Williams driver added that there is “an extra level of responsibility” for the Ferrari drivers to avoid making contact at the team’s home race.
He explained: “I remember ’23 being quite an intense battle with Charles.
“I don’t think we got to the point where we had any arguments that day. We both felt like we kept it as far as we could for what was at stake. We had worse ones than that, for sure.
“But at Monza, you feel an extra level of responsibility of making sure you don’t touch the other guy in the other red car because it’s Monza.
“I think in general that’s the number-one rule of motorsport or Formula 1, but maybe Ferrari at Monza [it’s] a bit more.
“You have that in the back of your head, for sure, going into every battle.”
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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