Sainz denies refusing team request: 'Nothing came on the radio'

Carlos Sainz's third-place finish in Brazil was good news for Ferrari, but the Italian formation would have preferred to see Charles Leclerc in that spot. After all, the Monegasque is still fighting for second place in the world championship and could give Sergio Perez a sensitive rap. Sainz denied at the FIA press conference that his engineer requested him to let Leclerc past.

At Red Bull Racing, there was much turmoil after the race. Max Verstappen decided not to let Sergio Perez pass him during the race, causing his teammate to miss out on important championship points. The Dutchman stated he had his reasons for this and was keen to help Perez in Abu Dhabi.

Ferrari seemed to have a similar situation. With Sainz and Leclerc in third and fourth respectively, the team could easily have given the latter driver extra points, but it was ultimately the Spaniard who crossed the finish line earlier. According to Sainz, however, his team did not communicate anything to him.

"Yeah, got to know this at the end of the race, because to me on the radio, nothing came from my engineer or the team," Sainz explained to the media. "So I just got to know this half an hour ago when I jumped out of the car. So I have nothing to comment."

Big challenge Ferrari in Abu Dhabi

During the final weekend in Abu Dhabi, things will be blood-curdlingly exciting between Leclerc and Perez. Indeed, both men are on 290 points, which means they will be battling to take the second spot. Meanwhile, Ferrari is battling Mercedes for the same position in the constructors' championship.