Carlos Sainz believes it was “quite clear” that Charles Leclerc’s defensive move at the start of Formula 1’s Chinese Grand
Ferrari had high hopes for Leclerc and Sainz to climb to podium positions with their strong race pace, but they fell behind Mercedes and Haas early on. Leclerc managed to finish fourth after pitting during a Virtual Safety Car phase, while Sainz struggled with a compromised race strategy and finished fifth. Sainz admitted that given the circumstances, a better result than fifth was not possible, highlighting a poor start and the need to catch up throughout the race. The two teammates had a tense moment in the Sprint race earlier, with Leclerc calling out Sainz for driving “over the limit”. Sainz refrained from commenting on whether the incident was a retaliation but acknowledged that it cost them positions. McLaren’s superior performance over the weekend was evident to Sainz, who acknowledged that they need to focus on each track individually and look forward to potential upgrades for improved performance.
