Charles Leclerc did not hold back after the Las Vegas Grand Prix as he claimed over team radio: “Being nice f**** me over all the time.”
The Monegasque driver, who started fourth on the grid, had a tremendous start and was second after the first lap.
Leclerc came close to overtaking George Russell for the lead but then dropped back to fourth after an issue with his car.
He then fought with Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and though he overtook the Dutchman, he could not catch Sainz and finished where he started.
Immediately after the race, Leclerc said to his race engineer Bryan Bozzi: “Yeah, I did my job, but being nice f**** me over all the f****** time, all the f****** time.
“It’s not even being nice, it’s just being respectful. I know I need to shut up, but at one point it’s always the same, so...oh my f****** god.
Bozzi, who tried to interject, then replied: “OK. But anyway, you did the right thing for the team.”
Leclerc was then cryptic when his emotions cooled, telling Sky Sports F1: “It’s OK. Every time there’s this kind of frustrations, there’s not the background for anybody.
“I won’t go further into that discussion. Frustrating for the drivers. At the end of the day, it’s OK. I did my part. I let Carlos by and the rest we will discuss it within the team,
“It’s not about favouring one or the other, it’s about things we were told but all good. I’ve already said too much and I don’t want to go into the details whatsoever.”
George Russell won the race, leading home a Mercedes one-two, while Max Verstappen sealed his fourth consecutive world title by finishing above Lando Norris.
Leclerc is still competing for second in the drivers’ championship, lying 21 points behind Lando Norris ahead of next weeks’ race in Qatar.
Ferrari are now 24 points behind McLaren in the battle for the constructors’ championship with two races to go.
