We witnessed an incredible qualifying session in the Texan land. Charles Leclerc ultimately came out on top, securing pole position for Sunday’s race in Austin. Max Verstappen had set the fastest time, just 5 thousandths of a second ahead of the Monegasque driver, but it was canceled due to track limits at the penultimate corner. After crossing the finish line, Charles Leclerc had a radio conversation with his engineer, Xavi Marcos, who informed him about Max Verstappen’s deleted lap and thus his pole position. However, in doing so, Xavi didn’t immediately mention the Dutch driver, causing the Monegasque to panic as he believed that his own lap had been canceled.
The conversation, as seen from the outside, is certainly amusing, but at that moment, we can imagine that Charles Leclerc was quite worried. Here’s the radio exchange between the two:
Xavi Marcos: “Verstappen 34.71.”
Leclerc: “Oh, for heaven’s sake… for heaven’s sake!”
Xavi Marcos: “Lap canceled for Verstappen.”
Leclerc: “Xavi, what the heck… tell me the name first!”
Xavi apparently didn’t understand what Charles Leclerc meant, so he repeated the message.
Xavi Marcos: “Verstappen’s lap canceled.”
Leclerc: “Yeah, okay, but I nearly had a heart attack.”
Xavi Marcos: “Okay, P1.”
In the end, Charles Leclerc let out a message to celebrate his beautiful pole position in Austin.
Leclerc: “Let’s go! That was a good lap. That was a really good lap. Do I go to the grid or the pit lane?”
Xavi Marcos: “To the pit lane.”
The race will undoubtedly be intense given the very close qualifying times. It will be interesting to see if and how Max Verstappen will climb from the sixth position and if Ferrari can manage their tires well and maintain a good pace. Let’s not forget McLaren and Mercedes, which have proven to be highly competitive.
Today, the drivers will return to the track for the qualifying shootout and the Sprint Race. If today’s indications hold true, we will likely witness a tightly contested battle in the upcoming sessions.
Source: f1ingenerale
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