Carlos’ father on the final duel in Monza between his son and Leclerc: “Strange that only sometimes the Prancing Horse riders can attack each other. It’s better this way, though: it was a well-deserved podium and without any order”
The duel between the two Ferrari drivers, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, in the final stages of the Italian GP, which ended with the Spaniard taking third place, was one of the most exciting moments of the Monza race. An open, hard and fair fight that made both the public at the Autodromo Nazionale and the Maranello team thrill, as Team Principal Frederic Vasseur himself said at the end of the race: “I trembled a bit – said Vasseur -, but I told my riders that they could fight, but without taking any risks”.
the consequences of the duel
—
However, the duel had an off-track aspect, even if those directly involved did not make any controversy after the race. In Spain, in fact, the absence of team orders was noted, while on other occasions Ferrari had not left their drivers free to fight openly, above all when, with reversed positions, Sainz had not been given the opportunity to attack comrade Leclerc. This was highlighted, in a subtle but insightful way, by Carlos Sainz Senior, the father of the Ferrari driver.
the dig
—
The two-time world rally champion and three-time winner of the Dakar actually teased Ferrari with a rather sibylline statement. “It’s strange that sometimes the Ferrari drivers can attack each other and other times not – his words to the microphones of Dazn -. Sometimes they are free to fight, other times not. It’s curious… Now that it’s all over, I prefer that it went like this, without any kind of order: Carlos was good, getting on the podium with Ferrari at Monza is an excellent result. He deserved it: congratulations”. Beyond the controversial dig, the Monza race also has implications for the World Championship and for team hierarchies, given that Sainz is fifth in the standings with 6 points ahead of Leclerc.
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED