Charles Leclerc closed the Sprint qualifications of the United States Grand Prix in Austin in third position, but the Monegasque driver does not hide a certain regret for not being able to fight for pole. After an excellent performance in free practice and in the early stages of qualifying, Ferrari struggled with the soft tyres, allowing the Mercedes of George Russell and Red Bull's Max Verstappen to gain ground. Despite this, Leclerc remains optimistic for the rest of the weekend, knowing that his SF-24 has a good race pace.
The difficulties with the soft tyres
Leclerc explained how switching to the soft tyres in the decisive phase of Sprint Qualifying in Austin compromised his chances of getting a better result: “We were doing very well on the mediums, but with the softs we lacked the pace to fight for pole. I didn’t make any particular mistakes, but the grip wasn’t optimal compared to the other compounds. It can happen, especially when you have little time to adapt.” The Ferrari driver, however, still sees the glass half full: “Starting third is not so bad for the Sprint, and we still have tomorrow to try to recover.”

The good feelings of freestyle
The Texan weekend had started in the best possible way for Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc closing the free practice session in first and second place respectively. The SF-24 showed good balance right from the start, especially on the hard and medium tyres, confirming the potential of the car on a track like Austin. “In free practice we went very well, and with the mediums we were competitive in qualifying too. Now we just need to find a way to maximise our potential in the race.”
Confidence for the weekend
Despite finishing third in Sprint Qualifying in Austin, Leclerc remains confident about Ferrari’s chances this weekend: “We are very close to the front and we can fight for important positions. Our race pace is good and, if we can make the most of it, we can have a good race tomorrow.” The Monegasque knows the competition is fierce, but Ferrari has shown it has the potential to compete at the highest level, even on a demanding circuit like Austin.