Carlos Sainz in Qatar he was unable to race together with the other 19 pilots due to a leak in the tank of his SF-23 which forced him to remain in the garage and observe the race of the others, especially his partner, from an unusual position. It was the second DNS of his career for Sainz who arrived in Austin with the desire to race and place himself in a good position. The Sprint weekend, the second in a row considering that the mini race format was also held in Qatar, usually sees a Ferrari in particularly good shape. It was like this yesterday too. Leclerc took it Pole, but the Spaniard took fourth place. Sainz then examined his session at the end of qualifying in Austin, identifying the point where he lost the most, and on which he still has room for improvement in view of the next events.
Sainz's words after qualifying in Austin
Despite not being able to get close enough to take second place, Sainz says he is satisfied with his qualification. And it cannot fail to be so given the minimal difference between McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes but also Red Bull. Everyone had Pole within reach, but on the last lap the spark came that made the difference. The fact that Max Verstappen had to give 101% and made the mistake is proof of this. Charles worked magic in the last sector. And precisely in that Sainz tried to improve until the end even though he didn't succeed. For the race the sensations are positive given the reaction of the SF-23 in this first part of the weekend. The goal is the podium, both for Charles and for Sainz who can't wait to forget Qatar.
“It wasn't a bad qualifying – Sainz said in the interviews post qualifying in Austin. I suffered a bit in the last sector, so tomorrow I will try to improve in that area. The rest of the tour went more or less well and we seem to be in good shape. Congratulations to Charles for achieving pole position for the team. We will try to get good points throughout the weekend."
Watch out for McLaren
However, McLaren remains the main concern. With Norris in front and Lewis alongside Sainz he will have to prove himself cold and cynical at the start on Sunday. Last year the Spaniard started from Pole here. But at the start he was rammed by Russell who ended his race after the first corner. We will have to be careful.
Sainz had already expressed his concerns on Friday about a McLaren in such good shape. According to him, in the next races the English team will bring home more positive results than Ferrari. McLaren started the season quietly, aware at the start of the championship that it did not have a car capable of competing for the top positions. And the ranking reflected these difficulties, given that at the end of the Canadian Grand Prix, the eighth event of the calendar, the British were in sixth place among the constructors.
Over the course of nine races the situation was completely reversed, thanks to the updates introduced on the cars of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, which made the two young drivers competitive for the podium almost every weekend. And so the Woking team got closer to Aston Martin, fourth and Ferrari, third, which is 79 points away.
