Spanish driver Carlos Sainz wished his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc on his birthday. Even though this might look like just a teammate wishing his fellow driver on their special day, it is not. The Spaniard landed himself in trouble over the choice of a word he used in his Leclerc post.
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Sainz posted a photo of him and Leclerc chilling with a caption, “Happy Birthday Cabron” to wish the Monegasque. However, fans called out the use of language in the post as it depicts a bad meaning when translated.
Sainz Jr. being a Spanish driver, chose to wish Leclerc on his preferred language, which did not sit well with the fans. However, there was another group of fans who defended the former McLaren driver over his action.
Fans defend Carlos Sainz as they understood the context
Some fans came out to support the Spaniard as they understood the context in which Sainz used the word for Leclerc. ‘Cabrón’, which translates to ‘Bast*rd’ in English when translated by Google, has a different meaning when used with friends.
READ MORE: Carlos Sainz Determined to Stand Toe to Toe With Charles Leclerc Amid Ferrari No. 1 Driver Debate
The fans further shared that it is a word that friends use between them and is not used as an insult. Given below are some of the fan reactions taken from Twitter.
As a Spaniard: We use this with our friends in a "Insult you but love you" way, with my friends the more we insult each the better our friendship is
— LimitlessF1 (@Formula1Jd) October 16, 2022
Nelson piquet vibes tbh…People dont know the context of the word in that language and just translate it on google
— Cerkas¹² (@iCerkas) October 16, 2022
In Spanish we use to say "cabron" sometimes in a friendly way to a bro and not as an insult hahaha
— Valeria Hincapie (@valeriahincapi2) October 16, 2022
Do people still think it’s normal to speak only one language. That is kinda sad
— skrillah.223 (@OCDC223) October 16, 2022
Fans took to Twitter to defend Sainz as he faced quite a backlash for using the word. His teammate, Charles Leclerc, did not comment on it as yet.
Wtf that's wrong, no one uses cabrón as an insult, everyone uses it in a friendly way
— 🏎️mariano🌶️ || Para cuando S2 de 86? (@_Juujika_) October 16, 2022
🤣🤣🤣
I can see people taking the literal translation and start slandering Carlos…again pic.twitter.com/wvy7g0Xu8E— Ireth 💙🏎🌶 (@__ireth) October 16, 2022
In Spain we also say that to a close person, like a joke, I don't know how to explain it, but it's common between friends
— D55 | Palou a Audi (@Darthcris5) October 16, 2022
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thats not the exact translation but its a word to be used in a friendly context
— joaquin‽ (@jooaquinnszz) October 16, 2022
Admittedly, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc share amicable bonding between them at the Ferrari F1 team. The two have been racing together in the Maranello-based team since 2021 when Sainz made his move from McLaren to come and race for Ferrari. While Leclerc stayed in the team and the Spaniard replaced the German driver Sebastian Vettel.
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