Settles accounts with Ferrari

Leclerc flips out: “What the hell do we want?”

Charles Leclerc completely lost it after the race in Las Vegas.(Bild: AFP/APA/Miguel Schincariol)

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc completely lost it after the race in Las Vegas. While Max Verstappen was celebrating his fourth world championship title in Formula 1, the Monegasque was unstoppable and complained about his team and his team-mate Carlos Sainz. "What the hell do we want?" asks Leclerc, only then realizing that he still has his finger on the radio button ... 

His fourth place at the race in Las Vegas sent Leclerc into a complete rage. After being knocked off the podium by his team-mate Carlos Sainz of all people, there was no stopping the Monegasque. First, he vented his frustration at race engineer Bryan Bozzi.

Bozzi had asked Leclerc to collect tire pick-ups on the way back to the pits at the end of the race. This earned him a provocative "Yes, whatever you want, as always" from the Monegasque. Bozzi tried to calm the situation and praised the 27-year-old for his commitment and for doing a good job. 

The horses run away with Leclerc
But the words fail to have the desired effect and Leclerc completely explodes: "Yes, yes, yes. Yes, I did my job, but being nice f... me every time, every f... time! It's not even being nice, just being respectful." 

All the team's attempts to restrain the driver goad him further. "I know I have to keep my mouth shut. But at some point it's always the same. So oh my f... God. What the hell do we want?" bursts out of Leclerc. Only then does he realize that his finger is still on the radio button. "Shit, shit, shit, and the radio's on. I'm sorry, that's my fault," the 27-year-old suddenly becomes meek. 

What was the trigger?
Team boss Fred Vasseur then tries to play down the incident: "The situation was simply difficult for everyone, so we'll discuss it tonight and then it won't be a problem". 

Fred Vasseur(Bild: AFP/APA/Charly TRIBALLEAU)

But what caused Leclerc to get so angry? After Leclerc, who was still in third place at the time, pitted for the second time, his team-mate Sainz was actually instructed not to put him under pressure. However, the Monegasque had a few problems after the pit stop and the Spaniard took the opportunity to pass him.

The disregard for the team's instructions and the resulting fall from the podium instantly angered Leclerc: "Maybe you should try it in Spanish," he radioed angrily. Sainz, who is leaving the team at the end of the year, clearly didn't care. The foundation for the angry outburst had been laid ...