Unlike NASCAR, the team orders in Formula 1 are something drivers have to acknowledge while racing. We’ve seen both Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton work in harmony over the years at Mercedes. But the same cannot be said for the current Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

Both the drivers could’ve finished the Las Vegas Grand Prix on the podium, but the lack of team chemistry and clarity saw Mercedes take advantage of the situation. Now we all know Carlos Sainz received his marching order at the end of the season. And that just might be the reason why he ignored team orders during the Vegas race. Although Sainz got what he felt he deserved from the race, Charles Leclerc wasn’t a happy man.

Charles Leclerc goes ballistic on team radio

Charles Leclerc started the Vegas Grand Prix behind his teammate on the second row in P4. But, as the light went green, he was quick on the gas pedal and jumped two positions on the very first corner. Taking the inside line into turn one, Leclerc made light work of Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly, both drivers who started in the top 3.  He looked to be on a hunt for the race lead against George Russell. While he might have gotten a good start, he was one of the earlycomers to hit the pit road. Essentially, in the early battle with Russell for the lead, Charles Leclerc couldn’t manage his tires and found himself losing seconds to Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz.

From here on, Charles Leclerc was trying his best to regain his spot on the grid. However, there was a huge fumble on his second pit stop when Sainz was told not to race his teammate, but Sainz was laser-focused on getting his reward from the race. Although the two Ferrari drivers were able to get past Red Bull star Max Verstappen, only one of them managed to secure a podium finish, thanks to a late charge from the #44 of Lewis Hamilton.

After the race, Charles Leclerc headed to the team radio to express his feelings. And he certainly didn’t hold any punches, calling out his fellow teammate for the way he was raced. “Yeah, I did my job. But being nice f**ks me all the f**king time. All the f**king time. “It’s not even being nice, it’s just being respectful, I know I need to shut up, but at one point is always the same so… Oh my f**king god.”

Little did Leclerc know that his radio was on. “F**king pick up what the f**k you want. And the radio is on; I am sorry.” Well, it’s fair to say that team principal Frédéric Vasseur needs to get hold of the situation. This isn’t the first time the Monegasque driver has had problems with his teammates and team orders.

While Red Bull and Max Verstappen bagged the driver’s championship, Ferrari still has a shot at the constructors title, and they trail McLaren by 24 points with two races to go.

Vasseur isn’t concerned by Leclerc’s radio rant after the Vegas race

This isn’t the first instance of the Ferrari drivers having a go at each. After clashing at the Spanish Grand Prix, Sainz felt that his teammate always had something to complain about after the race. “I think too many times he complains after a race about something.” The tensions continued at Silverstone, and this time it was during the qualifying sessions.

Part of the problem also might be enforcement and strategy from the Ferrari camp. This was visible in the 2022 British GP when both cars were at the front before a late Safety Car incident opened up the strategy to change. Carlos Sainz took it up, pitting for fresh tires while Charles Leclerc stayed out. At the time, Ferrari tried to manage the situation by asking Sainz to maintain a gap with Leclerc as the Safety Car came in, but Sainz, looking for his first-ever F1 win, made it clear he wasn’t going to concede an inch. What’s more concerning is the prospect of a similar situation coming up next year. With Lewis Hamilton making the move to Ferrari, no one can say for certain who will be favored in a situation like Vegas, when neither driver is likely to win the Championship.

This becoming a repetitive thing is indeed a concern for the team boss. Although Charles Leclerc went on an expletive-laden rant on the radio, the team certainly didn’t take a huge hit in terms of results. Perhaps this might be the reason why Vasseur isn’t concerned about Charles Leclerc’s radio message after the Vegas race.

“I’m not worried at all. I think, again, it’s always the same story that they have to make comments or they don’t have to make comments. They are doing comments on the [slow-down] lap and they don’t have always the full picture. We will discuss, and it won’t be an issue.” Vasseur said after the race, he also addressed that the team could’ve done a better job with the position swap. “We were discussing like this, and on top we had to swap, and it was a bit of chaos, but when they are into the car, they have their own vision of the race.”

It is hard to point a finger at who dropped the ball in this instance. Perhaps it was Drake’s curse once again that did the job on Charles Leclerc and sealed his fate for the Vegas race.