In the race, there was a big fight between some drivers. It started when Carlos Sainz tried to pass Fernando Alonso at Turn 7. This allowed Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc to join the fight too.
There was some contact between Alonso and Sainz, and they both went wide at Turn 9. Then, at Turn 14, both Ferrari drivers, Leclerc and Sainz, seemed to bump into each other.
Leclerc wasn’t happy about this and said on the team radio after the race, “Let’s speak. We’re fighting more, he’s fighting more me than the others.”
After the race, Leclerc was asked if he thought Sainz’s defending was too aggressive. He said, “I think so but to be honest I have also crossed a line myself in the past and when this happens we normally have a discussion, we clear the air.”
Sainz said he was sorry if his defending was too aggressive. He explained that his earlier fight with Alonso caused some issues.
Sainz said, “Behind Fernando I did a really good move around the outside of Turn 7 and from then on he decided to be a bit all or nothing into me into Turn 9 which cost us both in the race.”
Both Sainz and Alonso are being looked into by the race officials because of their clash at Turn 7.
Alonso said, “It was tough racing and a couple of corners parallel to each other, wheel to wheel battle, and at the end someone has to give up. But in the sprint race there are only a few points in play and our natural position is seventh or eighth so it is not many points. It is a shame not to finish but I think we lost not too many points today.”
