Charles Leclerc harbours no grievances regarding how his Ferrari F1 teammate, Carlos Sainz, defended his position during their intense duel for third place at the Italian Grand Prix.

As the two Red Bull cars had already surged ahead, Sainz and Leclerc engaged in a fierce battle for the final podium spot.

Their closely contested tussle saw them make contact and lock horns multiple times, teetering on the edge of collision. In the end, Sainz emerged victorious, securing his first podium of the 2023 F1 season.

Reflecting on this thrilling battle with Sainz, Leclerc expressed his enthusiasm, likening it to the spirited racing encounters of their karting days.

He noted that such intense and on-the-edge racing, as experienced with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in the past, is what makes the sport truly exciting.

“I personally really enjoyed it. There were so many moments were it was really trick. But I don’t complain, this is why I love racing. The adrenaline you feel fighting each other, it was really fun.”

Carlos Sainz having managed to edge out hos teammate after the fierce battle in front of their home crowd said: “It was tough, hard racing, and it’s always been a pleasure to race Charles whenever we have had the chance.

“And today was the same. He is a great racer, the same as Max and Checo. We had fun out there and I hope the fans enjoyed it.

“You cannot get any tougher than that what it was today, honestly I was pushing the whole race to keep the Red Bull behind.

“That obviously made me use the rear tyres a lot, and I ended up paying the price with the rear tyres, but I did everything I could to defend and brought it home in P3, but it was a tough race for sure.”

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