Charles Leclerc raced to victory on Sunday at the GP in Austin. It was his third win of the season and his first triumph at the Circuit of the Americas. Teammate Carlos Sainz followed in second place, completing Ferrari’s first one-two finish since the Australian GP. “We’re still fighting for the title,” Leclerc responded afterwards.
“That was clinical,” concluded Jenson Button after the United States GP. The former world champion was the first to congratulate Charles Leclerc on his victory. “Of course, I struggled a bit with the balance of the car, but at the same time, I had a lot of confidence today,” a relieved Leclerc responded. “I’m incredibly satisfied and very happy for the team. We may not have been the best this weekend, but we were able to prove ourselves today.”
Leclerc Takes the Lead
Charles Leclerc, who started from P3, quickly took the lead. “It was a good first corner,” he chuckled. “I got off to a great start and was in the right place at the right time. After that, it was just about creating a gap and controlling the pace. The engineers have been working their tails off for the past few months, so I’m very pleased with this result. We still want to compete for the title. Of course, that requires a lot of work, but this is a good start regardless.”
Carlos Sainz Finishes Second
Close behind Leclerc, Carlos Sainz crossed the finish line in second place. The Spaniard also had a chance to win on Sunday, but ultimately settled for second place and a one-two finish for Ferrari. “Of course, I’m disappointed that I couldn’t win,” he admitted. “At the same time, I congratulate Charles (Leclerc) and the team on this victory. It was going to be a tight race between Norris and Verstappen from the start, so this is a fantastic result.”
Ferrari’s Significant Improvement
The Ferrari has significantly improved over the past few months compared to previous Grands Prix. “Managing the tires is definitely our strongest point this year,” Sainz explained. “We can really push them to the limit.” Meanwhile, the gap between Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc has shrunk again – the difference is only twenty-two points after the United States GP. In the constructors’ standings, Ferrari has closed the gap to Red Bull to just eight points.
