The one we nickname “Chili” was on fire Saturday during the Sprint race on Saturday, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Carlos Sainz put on a show with muscular and daring overtakes on Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Lando Norris, which allowed him to grab a nice 2nd place behind Max Verstappen. On a circuit he loves – where he even took pole position in 2022 – the Spaniard seems more comfortable than his teammate and showed remarkable pace in his Ferrari during the race.
On Sunday, the three-time Grand Prix winner will start from 3rd place behind the two championship protagonists, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. An interesting starting position, especially if the two in front were to make contact in the impressive first corner of COTA. As for his performance in qualifying, Carlos Sainz was delighted with his progress compared to the day before in the same exercise, although with a little regret at not having been able to complete his last flying lap, frustrated by the exit from the track of George Russell at the end of the session.
Sainz on the lookout behind Norris and Verstappen
“I’m a little disappointed because on the last lap, because I was three tenths ahead in turn 16, with only two corners left, but it’s easy to say now, recognizes the Madrilenian. Regardless, I think we’ve made good progress and should be in the fight tomorrow if we get a good start, and with the two guys up front it should be fun. » He is already on the lookout for a mistake or a collision, Carlos Sainz!
Despite the great promises shown during the Sprint, the Scuderia driver said he was “relatively” confident for the Grand Prix. “The race is going to be very long. We will have a full tank of fuel. What we saw in the race relay [Sprint] will perhaps not correspond to the hundred kilos that we will put in the car on Sunday, underlines the Spanish. But the good thing is that we have a good reference with the Sprint. Obviously, the others did not remain idle and improved the graining problem at the front that many drivers were struggling with during the Sprint. I think the field will be very close tomorrow and the race should be exciting between several cars. »
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