Peter Windsor notices that there is some friction between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. The former Ferrari driver was sarcastic after qualifying in Australia for slipstream from his teammate, which he therefore did not get. However, Windsor cannot understand Leclerc’s reaction.
“I thought it was strange that he made it so public, that he was angry about it,” says the former team manager of Williams and Ferrari on his YouTube channel. According to Windsor, at Ferrari you have to live very much in your own world and not be so open to the press. “You have to work in a very apolitical way and this was quite a political response to all of this.”
Windsor also finds it strange that Leclerc assumed that Sainz would help him. “Even if Charles thought Carlos could help him, I think it’s pretty naive of him to think Carlos would. Why would Sainz help Leclerc more than Leclerc would help Sainz? Maybe he would, because he doesn’t see Carlos as such a big threat, but Sainz had a good GP of Saudi Arabia behind him.
Frustration mounts at Leclerc
Leclerc has certainly not had a great start to the season with two retirements in the first three races. According to Windsor, that all contributes to the frustration of the Monegask. “I think that’s a really interesting dynamic of what’s going on at Ferrari right now. If I were managing Leclerc, I would say to Charles now: the best thing you can do is have a good relationship with Sainz, because you may still need him in the course of the season.
Windsor is only afraid that the relationship between Leclerc and Sainz will deteriorate. “I’m surprised it turned out this way, especially as the Ferrari isn’t a race-winning car yet and it’s not time for any kind of drama within the team. But at this level where Ferrari is at the moment, I think it’s very strange that Charles had such a bad weekend in Melbourne and that was partly due to the annoyance he had with Carlos.
