"Carlos Sainz is probably thinking, does it matter now?": F1 pundit's theory on the Spaniard and Charles Leclerc's back and forth in Barcelona

F1 pundit Natalie Pickham has claimed that Carlos Sainz won't be interested in playing the team game anymore and help Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc as he won't be staying with the Italian team beyond the 2024 season. Ahead of the season opener in Bahrain, the Prancing Horse decided to replace Sainz with Lewis Hamilton for 2025 and beyond.

The Spaniard joined the Maranello-based outfit in 2021 and has claimed three victories alongside multiple podiums during his tenure with the team. In Spain last weekend, he and teammate Leclerc found themselves banging wheels in their battle for P5 in the main race.

The Monegasque driver wasn't appreciative of the move as Carlos Sainz did not follow the pre-race agreement while the latter claimed that Leclerc complained 'too much'.

On the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Pinkham called Sainz's attitude "perfectly reasonable" while giving her take on his approach for the rest of the season. She said:

“He’s probably got to a point now where he’s feeling a bit of pressure about where he goes next. He needs to make a decision about his future. He’s also driving incredibly well.

"So he’s having to put himself in the shop window week in, week out. He’s probably thinking, does it matter now if I criticize publicly? I am leaving anyway. But that’s perfectly reasonable. He has to look after his own career.” (24:00)

Charles Leclerc provides an update on his dynamic with Carlos Sainz

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has stated that he and teammate Carlos Sainz had no problems and had already resolved their issues before coming to Austria.

In his pre-race press conference in Austria, the Ferrari driver said:

"For our relationship not at all. Just because we came back on the same plane Sunday night and it was a matter of seeing each other and, yeah, it's all good. We had a discussion. As always… and I think the issue always seems huge from the outside.

"But then between us, we know each other so well since so many years that we know that after the race there's tension, we are both in the heat of the moment disappointed with each other, and then we speak together and all is good."

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz as a pair have helped Ferrari secure P2 in the Constructor's Championship for the past two seasons, finishing behind eventual champions Red Bull.

In his last year with the Italian team, Sainz is gearing up to take them one step further. Ferrari are currently 60 points behind the reigning world champions Red Bull after 10 races and two Sprints and having scored two wins, with Carlos Sainz in Australia and Leclerc in Monaco.