An adventure to remember for Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc

Dubai: Carlos Sainz was riding high after clinching a podium finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but the real adventure began hours later. Due to severe weather, his flight—alongside teammate Charles Leclerc—was unexpectedly diverted, setting the stage for an impromptu road trip.

Leclerc, already worn down by a rough weekend that included a crash in qualifying and a disappointing ninth-place finish, just wanted to get home to Monaco. However, bad weather forced their flight to land in central Italy instead of Nice, France.

Posting on social media on Sunday night, Leclerc shared his exasperation with fans. “After a very difficult weekend in Baku, I thought it couldn’t get any worse,” he said, before turning the camera to reveal Sainz behind the wheel. “We were diverted because of a storm. We couldn’t land in Nice, so we landed in the middle of Italy. We rented a van, and now we’re on our way to Monaco.”

Sainz, fresh off delivering Williams' best result in four years with his third-place finish, lightened the mood with a cheeky comment:

“Two-hour drive, and we’ll make it in one and a half.”

Leclerc wasn’t having it. “No!” he shot back, to which Sainz replied with a grin, “No, no, no — never.”