Sainz and Leclerc Shine as Ferrari Impresses in Sprint

Ferrari’s unexpected speed during the Austin Sprint left both Sainz and Leclerc impressed, raising hopes for the race ahead.

Despite being slightly off the pace in qualifying, Ferrari made a strong impact during the Austin Sprint. Carlos Sainz finished second after overtaking Lando Norris late in the race, and he was particularly impressed with the pace of his SF-24.

“There were some great battles, it was a good Sprint. If all Sprints are like this, we’ll definitely enjoy them. We had several fights, especially in the first five laps. Towards the end, I struggled with the tyres, but I noticed Lando was also having difficulties, so I took my chance with DRS, realising it was my opportunity to finish second,” said Sainz.

“I didn’t really manage the tyres because I was caught up in several battles and couldn’t focus on that. But despite that, we had a good pace, so it’s encouraging to see. Tomorrow, we might have a decent chance. We’re not in the best position after qualifying, but we’ll try to qualify as high as possible.”

Charles Leclerc was also pleased to be surprised by the car’s stronger-than-expected performance, though he felt his race was compromised due to tyre issues. “Nothing special, we were positively surprised by the car’s performance because it was good.”

“It was intense in the opening laps, I overused the tyres, and it was difficult in the middle part of the race. Things improved towards the end, but we had to try. We gathered a lot of data, and I hope we can learn from it for tomorrow.”

Norris is under investigation for erratic behaviour, and Leclerc confirmed he saw movement under braking: “I wasn’t expecting him to do that. Maybe in the heat of the moment, I thought he moved under braking. I’ll have to review the footage.”

“He seemed to be pushing the limits with the way he defended his line, but ultimately, that’s racing. He was trying to hold his position. I went for it, and it was close. We almost made contact, but in the end, no one crashed, and he finished ahead.”

Frédéric Vasseur, Ferrari’s team principal, believes the McLaren driver’s manoeuvre was dangerous: “I think Lando moved a bit in the braking zone. I’m not sure if there was contact or not, but it was very close and a bit risky.”