AUSTIN — The week started with Charles Leclerc, telling the assembled media inside Ferrari’s hospitality area, that they weren’t the “favorites” heading into the Components 1 United States Grand Prix.
It ended with Leclerc on the highest step and teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. alongside him, as Ferrari locked out the entrance row with a dominant efficiency in Austin, one which stands as the most recent twist in a surprising F1 season.
Whereas Lando Norris began up entrance alongside Max Verstappen, these two tangled into Flip 1 on the opening lap, opening the door for Leclerc to storm to the entrance of the sphere. Verstappen slid into second and Sainz crept as much as third after beginning fourth, as Norris was shuffled again to fourth.
Sainz was in a position to choose up second due to a well-executed undercut on Verstappen, and that paved the way in which for Ferrari’s unimaginable one-two.
“Very joyful. I imply, it hasn’t been a simple weekend till now. I’ve been struggling a bit of bit with the sensation with the automobile, however I had the arrogance that within the race the sensation was higher, and it was the case,” mentioned Leclerc trackside to Jenson Button after the race. “So we’ve seen it yesterday within the Dash race. We had been a bit not scared, however we thought that the others would enhance much more at the moment, however we nonetheless had the higher hand. So actually pleased with at the moment. 1-2 for the workforce. We couldn’t have dreamed for higher.”
Talking with Button, Sainz credited tire administration — as soon as a thorn in Ferrari’s facet — as a power for the workforce this season.
Yeah, [tire management is] undoubtedly the power of the automobile this 12 months. How lengthy we will go on stints and the way little [degredation] we’ve got is one thing that I actually get pleasure from and one thing that has made me get pleasure from racing much more this 12 months than what I did final 12 months,” mentioned Sainz. “Final 12 months, we spent all the races defending, dropping place. This 12 months, it appears like we simply can go on assault mode, don’t assume an excessive amount of about tires, and simply push and overtake, which is enjoyable, and I’m having fun with it quite a bit, and I hope it stays like that till the tip of the 12 months.”
With their robust efficiency, Ferrari turned what was trying like a two-team race for the Constructors’ Championship between McLaren and Pink Bull right into a three-way combat. In the meanwhile McLaren leads the sphere with 544 factors, adopted by Pink Bull with 504 factors, and Ferrari proper behind them with 496 factors on the 12 months.
5 race weekends are remaining, together with two extra F1 Dash Races, so this combat is way from settled.
And may not be till Abu Dhabi.
