"Carlos Sainz isn't my girlfriend": Charles Leclerc on if he'd miss the Spaniard who has been his Ferrari teammate since 2021
Charles Leclerc recently talked about whether he would miss Carlos Sainz when he leaves Ferrari after 2024. The Spaniard only has two races left before he departs from the Italian team.
Charles Leclerc has had a great on- and off-track relationship with Sainz Jr. ever since they became teammates in 2021. They were frequently seen congratulating one another on race wins. Both have also recorded several promotional videos for the team and for other sponsors, where they were seen laughing and making jokes.
Of course, there have been tense times when both have fought each other on the track or even off it because of position confusion during a race. Nonetheless, they have kept a good relationship with one another.
During the Qatar GP press conference, Charles Leclerc was asked whether he was going to miss Carlos Sainz. To this, the Monegasque replied that though Sainz would not be in Ferrari, he would still be on the grid next year, only a few places away from him. Hence, he would not miss him too much. He then humorously said that Sainz was not his girlfriend.
"I've said it many times. On one hand, it's not like I'm going to miss him like crazy because he will still be in the paddock, maybe 20 meters away. So as I've said it for Fréd, Carlos isn't my girlfriend either," Leclerc said.
The Monegasque then said that his relationship was great with Carlos Sainz and that he would spend time with him even after their Ferrari partnership.
"And so I really like Carlos, but I'm sure we'll spend still a lot of time together. And as I was saying earlier, we have a really good relationship that will stay there even after our relationship within Ferrari. Yeah, we won't be working any more together, but we'll still spend time together. But he is a good person and we get along very, very well. And yeah, that, as I said earlier, helps us to work together very well," he added.
Charles Leclerc on how he and Carlos Sainz cleared the air between each other after the Las Vegas GP mishap
Charles Leclerc recently talked about how he and Carlos Sainz ironed out any issues and confusion they faced in the 2024 F1 Las Vegas GP.
At Las Vegas, Sainz had to switch places with Leclerc because of team orders. Later in the race, however, when Leclerc did his second pit stop, Sainz overtook the Monegasque and secured a podium finish, ignoring team orders. This caused tension between the two after the race.
Speaking at the Qatar GP press conference, however, Leclerc explained that he discussed the situation with Sainz, and since they have a good understanding of each other, they were able to resolve the doubts and issues.
"As I said, we have a really good relationship with Carlos. And sometimes I have overstepped the lines, and sometimes he did. And then it only requires a discussion between us two. And we look ourselves in the eye, and we know each other since a very long time now. We understand each other very, very quickly. So I have no doubts," Leclerc said.
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are currently trying to push Ferrari forward in the constructors' championship battle against table leaders McLaren.