Sainz heaps praise on Leclerc after fight for final Monza podium

Carlos Sainz has praised Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc after their thrilling late battle for third place at the Italian Grand Prix.

After Sergio Perez finally passed Sainz for second, the two Ferrari drivers battled for third place, with Leclerc attempting to deny Sainz a first podium of the season.

The Spanish driver held on by 0.184s after a final lap in which Leclerc locked up both front tyres and nearly rammed the back of his teammate.

Sainz reflects on Leclerc battle

"It was tough, hard racing, and it's always been a pleasure to race Charles whenever we have had the chance," Sainz explained.

"And today was the same. He is a great racer, the same as Max and Checo. We had fun out there and I hope the fans enjoyed it.

"You cannot get any tougher than that what it was today, honestly I was pushing the whole race to keep the Red Bull behind.

"That obviously made me use the rear tyres a lot, and I ended up paying the price with the rear tyres, but I did everything I could to defend and brought it home in P3, but it was a tough race for sure."