The man from Madrid leads Leclerc by 65 thousandths and the two-time champion by 92, but the Ferrari leader will start twelfth due to a penalty. The heat and the management of the tires, keys to decide the victory.
In the previous hours he had shown his priorities for the remainder of the World Cup, where he prefers more victories to the consolation of third or fourth place in the table. Carlos Sainz, accustomed to closing each year at his best level, took the first step this Saturday in Austin to make his wish come true. Mark the time of pole (1:34.356), with 65 thousandths ahead of charles leclerc and 92 on Max Verstappen, also gives you a small payback. For once, after so much trouble, those almost negligible margins fell on his side.
“I knew it would come,” said Sainz on the radio, with his traditional phlegm, when Riccardo Adami, track engineer, confirmed the good news. Anyone would say that he hadn’t struggled to bring the Ferrari to heel during its astonishing last sector, completely dyed purple. Or that he is more accustomed to these joys on Saturdays. It is, however, the third pole of their life. At the beginning of July, in the rain at Silverstone, he knew how to capitalize on it in victory. Almost two months later, after Verstappen was penalized at Spa, he was only able to save a podium finish because of a car without the necessary bro.
“I’m not going to lie. Red Bull is still the favorite for tomorrow, because they usually have better race pace, but we will do everything possible to stay ahead,” said a chastened Sainz. Of course, Verstappen has tricks up his sleeve. And of course, the 36Cs of the Texan autumn do not exactly favor Ferrari’s degradation problems.
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Dietrich Mateschitz, the visionary who built the Red Bull empire
Dietrich Mateschitz, the visionary who built the Red Bull empire
However, a couple of facts are enough to fuel hope: since their break into the World Cup in 2012, five of the nine poleman reached the checkered flag at the Circuit of the Americas. And no one won without starting from the front line. Likewise, Leclerc’s engine change, with the consequent penalty up to twelfth place, will avoid headaches in that furious ascent towards the first corner.
So Sainz will have to combine ambition and pragmatism to contain the onslaught of the brand new two-time champion. In a similar way to how he navigated during a sultry afternoon, where he already in Q1 gave the first knock: a 1: 35.297, half a second over Leclerc and a bit more against Verstappen. As early as the removal of Daniel Ricciardo Y Stephen Oconobsessed with personally taking the pulse between McLaren and Alpine.
Alonso, fourteenth after the sanction
It will not be easy for the French team to save the day in Austin, given that Fernando Alonso will start ninth, just behind lando norris. More was expected from the man from Oviedo, who could only stop the clock in 1:35.876, 1.5 seconds off the lead. If there’s no way to catch up with Mercedes, it’s also not a good idea to lose track of the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll. “We have more race pace than we showed today,” Alonso warned.
Friday’s penalty, for changing the internal combustion engine (ICE), delayed the Asturian to fourteenth place on the grid. “A little with the foot changed”, acknowledged Fernando, who could chase two or three points with his proverbial cunning. There is no room for much more this Sunday in Texas.
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