Leclerc putting the team first ahead of Japanese Grand Prix

It has been a turbulent few weeks for Ferrari and Charles Leclerc but the Monegasque has insisted that the team comes first despite the rivalry between him and his teammate, Sebastian Vettel starting to bubble.

Leclerc won the first two races back after the mid-season break but was then on the wrong end of the Ferrari tactics as Vettel won in Singapore. At the last race in Russia, Vettel ignored team orders for him to let Leclerc retake the race lead after the German took to the front in the opening lap of the race.

Despite the rivalry between the pair hotting up, Leclerc has insisted that the team is the priority ahead of this weekend's race at Suzuka.

"Well, I think as a team it’s always a priority to do good for the team but then as (in) every team, Seb wants to beat me, I want to beat him as much but yeah, the priority is to do good for the team which (is what) we all do," Leclerc said at the pre-Japan press conference.

On the topic of team orders Leclerc added: "Yeah, I think that’s clear from the beginning of the season, we need to obey team orders and what is clear is that the situation wasn’t clear for both of the drivers, starting the race, and I think that’s the most important (thing).