Charles LeClerc and Carlos Sainz Had a “Disagreement” Following Australian GP; Internal Tensions Highlighted Once Again

George Russell’s Australian Grand Prix came to a heartbreaking conclusion when he crashed out of the race on the final lap. He was battling hard with Fernando Alonso for a sixth-place finish when he lost control of his car, slamming into the wall and coming to a halt in the middle of the track, with his car resting on its side. What made the situation even scarier was Russell’s reaction on the team radio, where he expressed genuine fear for his safety, worried that other cars might collide with him at full speed. Carlos Sainz, who saw the replay of the crash in the cooldown room voiced his legitimate concern over driver safety going through turn 6. However, Charles Leclerc shrugged off his teammate in disagreement.

In a video uploaded on X, Russell can be heard desperately calling for the race to be stopped, fearing the potential danger he was in. Despite his terrifying pleas, the red flag was not deployed, and the race concluded under a Virtual Safety Car (VSC). Russell eventually came out of his Mercedes physically unharmed, but clearly dissatisfied with how things unfolded. He criticized Alonso’s aggressive driving and expressed his intention to take the matter up with the stewards.

In a recent episode of the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Matt Baker brought up the cooldown room conversation between Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc where Sainz enquired about George Russell’s crash, saying, “He had a big one, no? I said it about this corner, it is too much.“

“He said the corner is a bit too much. It’s so narrow at the speeds we go,” Matt quoted Sainz. “Bernie, do you think there’s any case for making turn 6 different or do you think that it should be looked at for future races at Albert Park.” To this, Bernie Collins responded, “It’s interesting because obviously if there was a different result, if someone had hit George for example, or if George had hit Alonso, my opinion might be different, but maybe we got away with it this one time. Safety needs to be the first concern.”

Matt Baker concluded by bringing up the disagreement between the two Ferrari teammates. “Just for what it’s worth in the cooldown room, Charles disagreed with Carlos, said that he likes it and he enjoys it.”

This is the third time in a row that George Russell has crashed out of the race when Carlos Sainz has claimed victory.

David Croft apologized to George Russell for the commentator curse he might have unleashed on the Brit

The Spaniard and the Brit seem to have a fair bit of contrasting fortunes. Whenever Sainz is heading for a victory, George Russell seems to find himself in a spot of bother, whether it’s ending up in the gravel or colliding with the barriers. But could it be that the culprit behind Russell’s misfortunes is the famous voice of David Croft from the commentary box?

Karun Chandhok tagged Croft on X in a post that pointed out that in both instances of the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix and the recent Australian Grand Prix, George Russell crashed out at the very moment Croft said, “You can hear the cheers of the crowd,” as Sainz is about to claim the victory. Karun jokingly said, “He’s a very powerful man our @CroftyF1.”

In response, David Croft candidly apologized to the British driver, saying, “Oh dear, has the commentator’s curse struck again?!!! I’m so sorry George. Got to say though I’m impressed with the research here.”

This was Russell’s third time being unlucky. Is the Brit destined to not finish a race whenever Carlos is on for a win? What are your thoughts on the matter?

READ MORE: George Russell Throws Shade at Lewis Hamilton as He Makes Honest Confession on Mercedes’ Performance