Team orders were the story of the Brazilian Grand Prix, with both Red Bull and Ferrari having to ponder ways to help their drivers finish as high as possible in the drivers’ championships.
Max Verstappen refused to let Sergio Perez past to help him in his battle with Charles Leclerc, but the Mexican driver might be relieved to hear that a similar situation unfolded at Ferrari.
Leclerc was sat in fourth with his teammate Carlos Sainz ahead of him, and with every single point being crucial in his battle with Perez, he asked on the team radio if the Spaniard could let him pass into the podium positions, and therefore putting him ahead of the Mexican in the championship with one race to go.
Ferrari were quick to deny Leclerc what he had requested, insisting to the Monegasque driver that it was simply too risky for Sainz to cede position.
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The Scuderia potentially made the correct call in this instance, due to the fact that Fernando Alonso was close behind Leclerc and closing, so should Sainz have let his teammate through, his elder countryman would most likely have made an overtake as well, which would not helped the team’s cause in their fight with Mercedes.
Leclerc was understanding in his post-race interview, suggesting that he only requested that Sainz gave up his podium position because it was a possibility that was discussed prior to the race.
“We talked about it before the race, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked, but that’s how it is,” explained the 25-year-old.
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Finishing the race at all looked a long shot for Leclerc in the early laps in Sao Paulo, after a collision with Lando Norris saw him sent spinning in to the barriers in sector two, leaving fans flabbergasted when he managed to continue the race with seemly very little long lasting damage.
It remains to be see whether Ferrari’s stance would have been any different had Sainz not had been in a podium position, as asking a driver to give up a podium would be a big, and potentially unreasonable request, as suggested by Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle.
Leclerc and Perez will now go in to Abu Dhabi level on points, similar to how Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen did last year in their infamous battle for the title, with the race for second place in the drivers’ championship heading right down to the wire.