Carlos Sainz finished Sprint Qualifying for the United States Grand Prix Sprint race with the fifth fastest time, securing a spot on the third row for today’s short race, which will take place at the 5.513-kilometre Circuit of The Americas in Austin. However, the gaps were extremely tight in SQ3, with the Ferrari driver just 30 thousandths behind his Maranello teammate Charles Leclerc, who took third. In between them, Lando Norris slotted in, just six thousandths quicker than Carlos Sainz.
“It was a very close Sprint Qualifying, and overall it wasn’t bad,” commented the Spaniard, aware that there’s still more to play for in the rest of the weekend. “The laps in SQ1 and SQ2 on the Medium tires were good, but we were missing something with the Softs. In the single attempt in SQ3, it all came down to the details, but on Saturday, we’ll have another chance. In terms of race pace, I think we can be competitive, and I expect an interesting Sprint race where we can fight to make up positions.” – the Ferrari pointed out.
The top eight drivers in today’s 19-lap Sprint race will earn points, with the winner receiving 8 points and eighth place taking 1. More importantly, the Sprint offers a valuable chance to assess race pace ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix. Following the Sprint, teams will have several hours to fine-tune their cars before the main event’s qualifying session, which begins at 17:00 local time (24:00 CEST). Sunday’s 56-lap Grand Prix is set to start at 14:00 local time (21:00 CEST).
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