The Las Vegas Grand Prix noticed—but once more this season—Carlos Sainz racing with out contemplating Ferrari’s greatest pursuits.
Charles Leclerc can not tolerate his dismissive conduct, particularly when the main focus needs to be on the Constructors’ Championship.
Carlos Sainz like Didier Pironi: defying orders
The Spanish driver made headlines on Saturday in Nevada by securing a podium end. Nevertheless, post-race controversies had been removed from absent; the truth is, they had been greater than justified given his unacceptable angle.
In the course of the race, the 29-year-old disobeyed group orders on two events: first, delaying a place swap with a quicker Charles Leclerc by demanding that the group name him into the pits as a substitute of letting him move; then overtaking Charles Leclerc as he exited the pit lane after his closing cease, securing a transfer that in the end earned him the rostrum.
To be clear, Ferrari’s group outcome wouldn’t have modified; a 3rd and fourth place was the utmost achievable. Nevertheless, that’s not the purpose. The difficulty is that Carlos Sainz persistently ignores pre-agreed group methods, as famous by his teammate.
“Not following group orders is comprehensible; in spite of everything, he’s already been let go by Ferrari,” one may argue. But his outright disregard for the group is much from respectable.
Disagree with what you’re being requested? Supply a quick clarification and ensure you’re continuing in a different way—it will definitely earn you extra respect.
Given how a lot satisfaction Carlos claims to have, why undermine Ferrari’s Constructors’ Championship combat? At that stage of the race, the precedence was to maximise the outcome for each drivers to realize as many factors as attainable towards McLaren.
To reiterate, in hindsight, Ferrari achieved the absolute best outcome (making the ending order between the 2 irrelevant for the group). Nevertheless, throughout the race, nobody may have identified that.
What’s undeniably important, although, is Carlos Sainz’s dismissive angle, exhibiting no dedication to a title that—in relation to “private satisfaction”—ought to matter to him.
What higher method to depart Maranello than by serving to the group win a championship after 16 years? What higher legacy than to be fondly remembered by the followers? For Carlos Sainz, nonetheless, it appears extra vital to boost his private report with a podium than contribute to a Constructors’ title.
Charles Leclerc has had sufficient
On the opposite aspect of the storage, Charles Leclerc is fed up, having all the time prioritized the group’s pursuits. At Silverstone in 2022, regardless of being in rivalry for the Drivers’ Championship (a marketing campaign that ended poorly), he swallowed the inexplicable choice to favor Carlos Sainz’s late-race victory, even after dominating the race with a broken entrance wing. At Singapore in 2023, he intentionally gave Carlos Sainz a security hole to assist him safe Ferrari’s solely win of the season, stating after the race: “What issues is that Ferrari gained.”
Now, nonetheless, he finds himself listening to that Sainz was advised to not assault him, solely to see him overtake with ease and with out hesitation.
With solely two Grands Prix left in Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari profession, one factor is obvious from his 4 years at Maranello: he has all the time raced for his personal pursuits, exhibiting little respect for a group working in the direction of a shared purpose fairly than a slender, unrealistic ambition of being the higher driver.
Sadly for the followers, not everyone seems to be like Villeneuve or Leclerc; some are like Sainz and Pironi. And the primary to acknowledge this could seemingly be Enzo Ferrari himself, who turned his ardour into an impressive actuality and all the time emphasised: “Ferrari first, all the time earlier than the drivers.”
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