Charles Leclerc has said he and Carlos Sainz “always try to fight at the limit”, and will do so again once he takes his place behind the wheel.
This will be the last season the pair will be linked at Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton waits to take over Sainz’s seat for 2025, and the Spaniard sat out in Jeddah after requiring surgery for appendicitis.
Charles Leclerc says he and Carlos Sainz ‘always try to fight to the limit’
Heading into the year knowing it was his last as a Ferrari driver for now, Sainz could perhaps be forgiven for taking more risks on track and driving from a more selfish perspective.
Perhaps that was in evidence when Sainz beat Leclerc twice in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, but it later became clear that the Monégasque driver was managing a brake issue that hampered his pace.
The inner strength of the team at Ferrari was placed on Leclerc as a result, and he insisted that the respect he and Sainz have for each other, and Ferrari as a whole, will not get in the way of how they race this season.
“No, I think we always try to fight for the limit,” Leclerc told the media in Jeddah when asked if he is racing his teammate differently this season.
“Obviously bearing in mind that Ferrari is ahead and we cannot take unnecessary risks. Again, on my part, I was not in a position to fight properly (in Bahrain) as we had a lot of issues to manage.
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“But yes, in the end, it’s a balance and sometimes we can go over the limit and be very aggressive and then we’ll have a discussion and we’ll do it soon, and that’s what we’ve done. Over the years we’ve been competing together, but I don’t remember when it ever got to the point of having trouble between us.
“So that is a good thing and it should stay that way, but I have no doubt about that.
“We also have a very good relationship outside of the car, so we’re very open and very honest with each other, so we have this discussion very often.
“It’s all about finding the right balance, but I think we did it.”
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