F1 news: PROOF Charles Leclerc broke Ferrari team orders to overtake Sebastian Vettel
FERRARI face a major headache within their team after Charles Leclerc defied team orders to overtake Sebastian Vettel at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
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Leclerc finished third in Sakhir - behind a Mercedes one-two of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas - after engine trouble ended his hopes of a stellar victory.
Vettel ended up finishing fifth as problems with his car following a spin saw Red Bull’s Max Verstappen overtake the German.
It means Vettel’s F1 World Drivers’ Championship battle with Hamilton is showing alarming signs of fading already.
Vettel is confirmed as the effective No 1 driver at Ferrari, with the Italian team confirming before the 2019 season started that priority would be given to the four-time world champion.
I’m quicker guys
But Leclerc seemed unhappy with that during the Bahrain Grand Prix.
And the Monacan was picked up on the Ferrari team radio defying orders to overtake his team-mate.
At the start of lap five, Leclerc told his team “I’m quicker guys” as he chased down Sebastian Vettel.
The comment was broadcast on F1’s television feed around the world.
But his instructions from Ferrari by Turn 10 of that lap were not.
“Stay there for two laps, stay there for two laps,” Leclerc was told.
Yet Leclerc eventually went for the overtake and bypassed his team-mate to steal a position.
After the race, Leclerc revealed that Ferrari bosses had told the pair not to take risks when battling each other.
“It’s always a tricky situation when you get to fight your team mate because the risks are very high,” he said.
“As in every team, I think, they warn you before the race: OK, you can try things on different people, but with your team-mate, please be careful. Which is something normal.
“But I had the opportunity on lap five and I didn’t hesitate, I just [went] for it.
“I was happy it was successful the first time I tried, especially after the bad start. So, yeah, happy with how it ended up.”
Leclerc was asked in the first Grand Prix of the season - in Australia - to stay behind Vettel and he duly complied.
But this time he went for the overtake - a decision that Ferrari will hope does not create tensions inside the camp with Vettel.
Hamilton’s 25 points for the race win in Bahrain puts the Brit one point off Bottas, who tops the F1 World Drivers’ Championship standings.
Leclerc is fourth - behind Verstappen - with Vettel down in fifth.
Vettel is already 22 points off the lead, with the Chinese Grand Prix next up on April 14.