Trouble in Paradise for Ferrari or has the air been cleared?

The Las Vegas Grand Prix, 2024, created tension between the two Ferrari drivers, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, following an incident with team orders.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix was home to many shock results, including the return of Lewis Hamilton on the podium, who claimed his fifth podium of the 2024 season and his 202nd podium of his career, as he climbed up the grid from 10th to 2nd.

Celebrating on the top steps of the podium with a fellow British driver and teammate George Russell, earning Mercedes a 1-2 finish, possibly be the last one of their career together before Hamilton departs to Ferrari for the 2025 season.

However, this podium was slightly outweighed across the media after the chaos within the Scuderia Ferrari team, particularly how Charles Leclerc's radio messages, where he openly expresses his anger after being overtaken by his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr, went viral across social media.

The incident entails a series of events, starting from the directions and advice from Bryan Bozzi, Charles Leclerc's race engineer, concerning the distance of their teammate in regards to the pit exit.

Bozzi had stated, "Carlos has been told not to overtake, but it's really close," which was then followed by, "He has been told not to put you under pressure."

These messages were then accompanied by Sainz overtaking Leclerc on the right hand side of the straight, leading into the third corner.

The media attraction to this situation was mostly formed from Charles' response to this situation, uttering over the radio, "Maybe try in Spanish."

The situation proceeded to progress as Bozzi gave further instructions and thanked him for doing his part for the team.

"I did my job, but being nice f***s me over all the f***ing time," Leclerc responded, "It's not even being nice, it's just being respectful."

Many formula one fans have displayed sympathy for Charles, stating that he had every right to react in that sentiment after his loyalty to Ferrari over the years.

However, the media attention that has surplussed as a result of this claims that there is an ongoing conflict between the teammates, that is further supported after comments gained traction earlier in the year after the Brazilian Grand Prix.

To which Leclerc replied to with, “I’m very angry with what I’ve seen everywhere.”

When he was asked about the rumours of internal team conflict, “People make judgements on two seconds of coverage.”

This contributes to a larger issue surrounding people's assumptions and judgements, where racing conflicts on the track are portrayed as more severe divisions between the drivers and team, increasing the competitive pressure from other constructors in the title battle.