28/11/2019
NEWS STORY
Though team boss Mattia Binotto has held 'clear the air' talks with both drivers, and insists that, despite appearances on track, Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc get on famously, speaking to reporters in Abu Dhabi it is clear the Monegasque driver still has an issue with the German.
"We called with Seb, and we tried to understand both of our situations," said the youngster. "I think probably Seb shouldn't have gone to the left, and he knows it.
"I probably could have done a better job of avoiding him going to the left," he added.
"The touch was extremely small and it had a big drama after that. So that was a little bit unlucky," he continued. "But as a team, I think we probably should try and be a bit less aggressive between each other for these things to not happen again.
"For the team, it's not good, for everyone that is supporting us, it's not good, so we'll try for it to not happen again. Both of us have a bit of responsibility, but I think the most important is that everything is clear with Seb now, and we move forward."
Asked if he and Vettel are still free to race, he said: "Obviously Seb and myself are very competitive, we both want to win, but we also need to find the right compromise, we are racing for the same team.
"I think this doesn't change, we'll be able to race together," he added. “As I said, we need to be less aggressive towards each other, give a little bit more space for these things to not happen again.
"Of what I know, it's the only thing that will happen for the next races, but maybe Mattia can go a bit further into that."
Vettel, who was scheduled to take part in the FIA press conference, was absent, the German having delayed his arrival in Abu Dhabi following the birth of his third child.
Check out our Thursday gallery from Yas Marina, here.