Charles Leclerc expressed frustration after the Las Vegas Grand Prix following a contentious battle with Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz that cost him a podium finish.

The incident occurred during the second round of pit stops when Sainz, initially running ahead, was instructed to yield position to Leclerc. However, Sainz later used an undercut strategy to regain the position, despite team instructions not to overtake.

In a heated team radio exchange post-race, Leclerc voiced his displeasure, stating that being respectful consistently disadvantages him in races. His frustration was evident as he responded to race engineer Bryan Bozzi's congratulations with strong criticism of the situation.

Sainz, who secured the podium position, offered his perspective on the controversial sequence. He explained that tire graining issues complicated the situation, and he had requested an earlier pit stop to avoid the awkward position swap with Leclerc. The Spaniard acknowledged that Ferrari's handling of the pit stop phase was suboptimal, leading to unnecessary time loss for both drivers.

Both drivers expressed disappointment with the team's strategy execution, though Sainz maintained that P3 and P4 likely represented the maximum achievable result for Ferrari in the race. The incident highlights ongoing tensions within the team regarding race strategy and driver management.

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