The end of Ferrari’s ‘C²’: Leclerc and Sainz’s genuine F1 partnership faces its sunset in Abu Dhabi

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz sat in the back of a car chatting en route to Bahrain International Circuit.

A buzz was in the air as Formula One prepared for the first race weekend of the 2024 season, fresh off of a long winter, the teams’ season launches and a silly season signing changing the drivers’ market. News broke on Feb. 1 that Lewis Hamilton would leave Mercedes and switch to Ferrari for the 2025 season, costing Sainz his seat. It wasn’t a matter of the Spaniard not performing — how do you say no to a seven-time world champion?

On the way to the Bahrain track, Leclerc stared down the camera with a slight smile. “Tell me, Carlos,” he said to his teammate before a stuffed chili pepper appeared in the frame. A fan had given it to Sainz, a nod towards one of his nicknames. Sainz said, “I want to give this to you, from my fan to me, for you so you remember me for the rest of your life.”

Leclerc pressed the chili against his face, saying, “A chiliiiiii.” Sainz added, “For our post-teammate era.” Leclerc stopped spinning the chili, his smile fading as he looked at his teammate.

“Come on, we’re only starting the season,” he responded with a slight laugh. Sainz said, “Getting emotional already.”

Together, Leclerc and Sainz formed a formidable driver duo that helped Ferrari contend for its first constructors’ championship since 2008, sitting 21 points behind first-place McLaren. The 2024 season has been the strongest of their respective F1 careers, Leclerc securing three wins (including an emotional home win at Monaco and a team home win at the Italian GP) and 12 podium finishes. Sainz brought home two victories (one just 16 days after having surgery) and eight podiums.

Their working relationship is strong, though tensions have flared, like after the Las Vegas Grand Prix. But on the personal side, the two have formed a beloved duo known by fans as C². Ferrari has put them through numerous viral challenges over the years, and the pair have become memes on social media. Their personalities have shone, and while they both will still be in the paddock in 2025 with Sainz at Williams, it’s the end of a special driver pairing.

“I’m sure that even though he won’t be in red next year, we’ll most likely travel together on the races to spend some time together,” Leclerc said in Abu Dhabi, “because our relationship is really good.”

“It’s a mix between a chili… and a carrot” 😅 @Carlossainz55 gifts his chili to @Charles_Leclerc 🙏 pic.twitter.com/4AHU2Xl4h0

— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 2, 2024

It all began four years ago.

Ferrari announced in May 2020 that Sainz would replace four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. The news came after Daniel Ricciardo was confirmed as the Spaniard’s replacement at McLaren, Sainz’s home for two years. The Woking-based crew led the midfield battle then, ending 2020 third in the standings (but 117 points off of second-place Red Bull). Sainz’s breakthrough year came with the papaya as he secured his first podium in 2019.

However, one of the lasting memories of Sainz’s McLaren chapter is how he bonded with the team, especially then-teammate Lando Norris. The duo formed what is still known today among fans as ‘Carlando,’ the term even popping up during competitions like the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.

Recreating that close friendship bond is rare, especially in a ruthless sport where the drivers’ market can be fluid. But Sainz and Leclerc clicked quickly, becoming so close that many fans wondered online whether it was a PR stunt pulled by Ferrari. Those types of comments continued for years, even when on-track frustrations flared.

“I honestly keep seeing sometimes in social media that people believe it’s not true and it’s all PR. And honestly, it disappoints me because people cannot sometimes understand that we have a professional relationship, and in that professional relationship, we go through ups and downs,” Sainz said in Qatar. “As competitive as we are, we’re always going to have some issues on track because, again, if he would be P1 and I would be P8 or vice versa, we would never have issues, but unfortunately, or let’s say fortunately for the team, we’re always in the same point on the track, and we’re having our little issues here and there.

“But then we also have a personal relationship, and as much as the professional one goes through ups and downs, the personal one, I can tell you, it’s always been really, really good.”

Leclerc and Sainz have clashed on track over the seasons but battled within the lines dictated by Ferrari (like at the 2024 United States Grand Prix, where they finished 1-2, the 2023 Italian Grand Prix and this year’s Las Vegas GP).

@f1

the ferraris made sure we were all entertained 🤺🤺 #f1 #formula1 #f1sprint #usgp #ferrari #carlossainz #charlesleclerc

♬ Hahahaha again – Lea👅

They are allowed to fight. And as noted by Sainz, they’re fighting for the same high-scoring positions, which starkly contrasts his stints at McLaren, Renault and Toro Rosso (now RB). He wasn’t fighting for wins when competing for previous teams, and none of those stops came with the same pressure that being a Ferrari driver brings. After all, it is the oldest team on the grid and a prestigious and legendary brand.

Sometimes, friction arises in the professional relationship, like during the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Leclerc gave a fiery radio message, saying, “Yeah, I did my job, but being nice f— me over all the f— time.” He was reluctant to go into details, and team principal Fred Vasseur felt Leclerc’s radio remarks were about the difficult situation, not one specific moment.

Communication, though, appears to be a hallmark of their relationship. They are able to separate the professional from the personal, but they also move on from misunderstandings quickly rather than allowing it to drag on to another race weekend.

Leclerc said in Qatar: “Whatever happened in Vegas, we discussed about it, and we are all good, which is the most important thing. I had no doubts about that because we’ve always had a really good relationship with Carlos and we’ve had races where sometimes things don’t go exactly the way we want, but the most important thing is that we discuss about it and we go forward.”

Leclerc was later asked in the same news conference what was said that made him comfortable putting trust in Ferrari and Sainz. He doubled down on the relationship and communication aspect again. “Sometimes I have overstepped the lines, and sometimes he did,” Leclerc said. “And then it only requires a discussion between us two. And we look ourselves in the eye, and we know each other since a very long time now. We understand each other very, very quickly.”

Come Sunday, once the checkered flag falls, the cameras turn off and the debriefs wrap up, that’ll be it. Sainz is driving in the post-season test with Williams, his new home, and it’ll be the end of an era in red. While the chapter will close on Sainz and Leclerc’s professional relationship, it’s hard to imagine that the dynamic duo of C² will cease to exist. This relationship, like any friendship, is different than ‘Carlando.’

And as Leclerc said, Sainz will only be working “20 meters away in the paddock.” But that doesn’t mean he won’t miss his teammate. His helmet for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend is indicative of it.

Etched on the top of the glittered helmet is “mucha5 gracia5 Carlos” — a nod to Sainz’s car number, 55.

“(Leclerc’s) one of those guys that I know in the future when I’m not in Formula One, I’ll look back and say I’m glad I met him, and I’m glad I raced with him, and I’m glad I can have a lot of good memories with him,” Sainz said in Qatar. “And in these four years in Ferrari, I’ve enjoyed every single moment with him, even the tough ones. As much as they’ve been tough, I’m pretty sure in 20-30 years I’ll laugh about them and look back with being proud of what we’ve achieved together.”

Top photos: Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire, Chris Graythen/Getty Images, Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images; Design: Meech Robinson/The Athletic