Brazil Sprint Qualifying, Carlos Sainz 5th
Friday at Interlagos showed a Ferrari significantly behind McLaren, at least in a single lap, with Carlos Sainz, after strong performances in the Sprint in Austin and throughout the weekend in Mexico, falling behind Charles Leclerc again.
The Spaniard finished Sprint Qualifying in fifth place, just 0.038 seconds off Max Verstappen‘s time, which secured the Dutchman a spot on the second row. Tomorrow, he will be battling in an open race, as the top five “driver-car packages” occupy the top five positions. Moreover, with only 60 minutes of free practice, there isn’t much indication of the hierarchy regarding race pace—a belief that Carlos Sainz himself seems to share.
Carlos Sainz’s comments
“I think a lot will happen in the Sprint; there will be many unknowns, and it should be fun. I’ll try to have a good race from my starting position, and for the rest of the day, I’ll try to qualify better and start further up in the Grand Prix,” was Smooth Operator’s comment after Sprint Qualifying.
The goal for Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will be to limit as much as possible the damage from a McLaren that, at least in a single lap, appeared on another level. But the Sprint, as the Spaniard suggests, could bring surprises at the 4.309-kilometre Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Brazil.
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