« Couldn’t have asked for better » – Leclerc leads Ferrari to a historic double in Austin

Charles Leclerc orchestrated a masterful performance at the United States Grand Prix, transforming his fourth place on the grid into a victory. This win, combined with Carlos Sainz’s second place, gives Ferrari its first one-two finish in the United States in 18 years.

The Monegasque driver made a perfect start, cleverly taking advantage of the battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in the first corner to take the lead of the race. « It was a very good turn 1. That’s exactly what I wanted to do », explained Leclerc. « We had a very good start. I knew it was going to be very tight in the first corner. Yesterday, I was a bit of a victim for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Today, I took advantage of it and it obviously helped a lot for our first stint. »

Once in the lead, the Monegasque maintained a good pace, perfectly managing his tires and the gap with his pursuers. His race management allowed him to keep his lead over his teammate after the only pit stop. The Ferrari driver expressed his satisfaction especially as the start was difficult. The weekend has not been easy so far, I struggled with the sensations, with the car, but I had confidence and in the race, the sensations were better and it was confirmed.

Once again, we heard comments about the strategy to adopt. Interviewed by MotorsInside during the FIA press conference, the Monegasque acknowledged that thanks to the gap he had built by the fifteenth lap, we had the luxury of choosing the strategy we wanted. “I had enough of a lead on Max, he couldn’t undercut us. We just needed to copy what he was going to do.” That’s why the car dived into the pitlane as soon as Red Bull did next lap.

The Ferrari driver also wanted to emphasize the collective work that allowed this performance, « The pace of the car today and this weekend in general was really good in the race and it is mostly thanks to the engineers. They have worked like crazy in recent months to bring the updates we had in Singapore and during the last races, and it seems to be paying off. The whole team is working really well, the pit stops were very good, everything worked well, so I am really, really happy. »

This victory represents a crucial moment for Ferrari in their battle for the constructors’ championship, as highlighted by Leclerc, « One, two for the team, we couldn’t dream of better », underlined Leclerc. « Now, we are still aiming for the [Constructors’] title. It is still far away, but it is a good start for this three-race triple. »

Ferrari’s performance this weekend, climaxing with this historic one-two, marks a significant turning point in their 2024 season. The recent updates made to the car are paying off, allowing them to now compete regularly for victory.