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Nico Rosberg has questioned Charles Leclerc's post-race comments about his battle with Carlos Sainz following the 2023 Italian GP.
Leclerc and Sainz went after it during the later stages of the race. The latter suffered majorly because of loss of tire life defending for the entirety of the second stint and the former continued to pile the pressure.
There were moments where it got very close including the one in Turn 4 a few laps before the end of the race. Sainz overshot the braking point and went straight through, forcing Leclerc to do the same.
The two Ferrari drivers made minor contact there and went ahead with the race, battling hard until the end.
After the race, Charles Leclerc was happy with the close battle between the two drivers and said that this was exactly what racing was supposed to be.
Nico Rosberg, however, was a bit surprised by Leclerc's comments. The German claimed that Carlos Sainz was over the limit at some moments and Leclerc's comments seemed to mystify him a little.
Rosberg told Sky Sports:
“There’s something a bit strange. I mean, ‘I had such a lovely fight and what a great day and I’m gonna have a beer with Carlos, we’re gonna have a laugh.’ I’m not sure about that. Because I mean, seriously, Carlos on one of those occasions was over the limit.”
He added:
“He locked up on the inside, he went off the track and took Charles with him and, as team-mates, that’s the one where that’s a bit over the edge and so I’m not sure what’s going on there.
“I was looking and I was trying to figure out, 'Is this genuine now?' And yes, I think it was genuine, you know, so I’m struggling. Is he too nice or what’s going on?”
What did Charles Leclerc say about his incident with Carlos Sainz after the Italian GP?
Charles Leclerc was very happy with his battle with Carlos Sainz after the 2023 Italian GP. Leclerc didn't complain or say anything untoward about his teammate and admitted that it was important for both for him and Sainz to get a podium in front of the Tifosi.
“This is exactly what racing should be. In the past with Max, I’ve had similar fights, with Checo [Sergio Perez] today it was on the limit too, and with Carlos was on the limit too, whether it was defending or attacking, and that made it really enjoyable inside the car,” Charles Leclerc said.
The Monegasque driver added:
“And at the end, we’ve maximised the team’s points, or the maximum result we could have done for the team. So it was really cool. I was on the limit, Carlos was on the limit, this is normal. I think it means to both of us a lot to be on the podium in front of the Tifosi, so we gave it all.”
The result may have hurt Charles Leclerc, who came fourth, a little, as a podium finish would have seen him stand in front of and celebrate with the Tifosi. That honor went to Carlos Sainz instead after he finished third behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
