Charles Leclerc disappointed that Ferrari did not order a change of positions with Sainz

While the debrief of the Grand Prix promises to be tense at Red Bull, where Max Verstappen refused to let his teammate Sergio Perez pass.

“Sergio Pérez clearly expressed his dissatisfaction after Max Verstappen deliberately refused to let him pass, and the atmosphere may not be any better on the Ferrari side, for the same reasons. Here, it’s Carlos Sainz who finished ahead of Charles Leclerc, while the Monegasque driver is competing with Sergio Pérez for second place in the overall standings. Unlike Red Bull, where it was clearly requested for the confirmed world champion to let the Mexican driver through, Ferrari didn’t give any instructions to the Spaniard, so he held onto his third place until the checkered flag.”

Race result: Charles Leclerc and Sergio Pérez are tied in the championship, with 290 points each, with just one round to go. At the moment, the advantage goes to the Ferrari driver, who has one more victory than his Red Bull rival. A missed opportunity – on both sides – to make a difference. Everything will therefore be decided in Abu Dhabi, in just seven short days.

At the microphone of Canal+ after the race, Charles Leclerc was naturally frustrated with this situation. “We had agreed on that [change of positions] before the race, so I don’t expect this,” the Monegasque reacted, visibly on edge. He then added that “the conditions were peculiar.”

« I don’t feel like… He [Carlos Sainz] had a great race, he also had some problems, so yeah, we both deserved this position. He was ahead of me, the team decided not to do the swap, that’s how it is. »

Speaking about the incident at the start of the race with – and because of – Lando Norris, the Ferrari driver believes that he was not responsible. This was confirmed by a penalty from the race management regarding the British driver. Honestly, when I review the footage, I had the impression that I left enough space on the inside, I don’t know if he had a loss of grip… And then he touched me. I was very surprised that I was able to continue after that, I didn’t know how well the car was, I believe there wasn’t too much damage. So we managed to limit the damage in a race that wasn’t easy. The frustration in the heat of the moment was there, but well, now we have to think about Abu Dhabi and bring back as many points as possible.

WHAT.A.RACE. 🥵

You, guys, have been great 🤩 An incredible job! #essereFerrari 🔴 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/azvYEsLXou

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) November 13, 2022