A promising Sprint for Carlos Sainz
Fifth on the grid, Carlos Sainz finished second, after some great battles on the track. All the more reason for him to keep up the improvements he's made since Monza.
At the start of the weekend, the two Ferrari drivers agreed that Austin would reveal the true level of their improvements, after the specific tracks of Monza, Baku, and Singapore. This Saturday at noon, they got a first element of answer and it is overall positive!
Indeed, Ferraris livened up the debates throughout the race. During the first five laps, between them since Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz didn’t stop exchanging positions during a beautiful, manly but fair battle. At the end of the race, he declared with a big smile: « Contrary to last year, our car is improving during the race. I saw that I could stay with those in front and, as a result, we went to fight!”
Then, he managed to overtake a struggling George Russell early in the race with his tires. His last target was Lando Norris, whom he managed to pass at the final corner. « I am surprised that we are so performing. It gives a lot of hope for tomorrow! »
Now the two Ferrari drivers will need to find the key with the soft tires, which let them down during Friday’s Sprint qualifying session. If they manage to start higher than third and fifth, they could have high hopes of being very serious contenders for another victory.
From our special correspondent in Austin
