Without a doubt, Ferrari was the big surprise in Austin. Charles Leclerc, after a perfect start that outsmarted Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, took the lead in the race and never let it go, achieving a historic, unexpected victory in the United States Grand Prix, where the Scuderia had not triumphed since 2018. The Monegasque, who started fourth, built his victory with a perfect move at the first corner, capitalizing on the battle between the two front-row drivers, and taking the lead as mentioned, then managing the race, various situations, and tire wear masterfully, exploiting the potential of a Ferrari that proved to be the car to beat in Texas, as confirmed by Carlos Sainz’s second place, who quickly took third and then attacked Max Verstappen for second place at the pit stop.
Charles Leclerc thus celebrates the eighth victory of his career and his third of the season, while the Scuderia celebrates its fourth win of 2024, which effectively certifies the positive trajectory of the car’s development (without modifications in Austin, where it was decided to maximize the potential stemming from the work done to understand the front wing introduced in Singapore, which allowed for greater flex), even though the SF-24 struggles in qualifying laps. A minor issue, considering that thanks to the developments from Monza, the Red car has become the best in tire management, as confirmed in Texas where, despite a race focused on attack, Leclerc and Carlos Sainz never faced tire problems: a new strength that could help in the final part of the season.
Ferrari has now reduced its gap to Red Bull to 8 points in the constructors’ standings, while also narrowing the gap to McLaren, which seemed to be in the lead, now ahead by only 44 points, opening up possible scenarios that, until before the Texas race, seemed unimaginable, given that this Ferrari could be fully capable of winning more races until the end of the championship. A hope, objectively, wished for by everyone, starting from the team, the fans, and the drivers. And among the drivers, at the end of the race, Carlos Sainz expressed his hope of having a competitive car again and managing to win a race before leaving Ferrari at the end of the season: a chance, then, to thank the team for everything done during the four seasons together and to experience once again the unique emotion of winning while dressed in Red.
“I hope we will have another opportunity to win a race this season, because I would like to win a race with Ferrari before I leave.” – the Spaniard admited.
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