A fratricidal duel at Ferrari in the Austin F1 Sprint Race: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz fought each other and (perhaps) lost the chance to win. A fierce battle erupted right from the start, when the Spaniard immediately tried to pull alongside and overtake his teammate. Overtakes, counter-overtakes, lockups, and (almost) a contact: a thrilling contest that ultimately benefited their rivals.
The Austin Sprint Race gave us an incredibly interesting preview for Sunday’s race. The Circuit of The Americas once again proved to be a wonderful track open to overtakes and duels, as it always has been throughout its history. Wide open until the last lap, Saturday’s race did not disappoint those who chose to stay home during the Italian evening.
But among all the on-track battles, the key moment was the fight between the two Ferrari drivers: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz started from third and fifth positions, respectively, but by the very first corner, they were already side by side. Leclerc, victim of a brilliant start by Lando Norris, was pushed to fourth place and immediately found himself next to his teammate.
From the second lap onward, the duel intensified: Carlos Sainz made his first attack at Turn 12, but Charles Leclerc defended well and held his position. The COTA, however, offers plenty of opportunities for overtaking (and re-overtaking), and the two kept swapping track position in Sector 3. This dynamic repeated over the following laps, until the sixth, when #55 secured the position for good.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen comfortably managed his tires, while Lando Norris, after a brief battle with George Russell, settled into second place. The SF-24 was flying on the Texas track, but the time and energy lost in the early duel didn’t allow the Ferraris to fully exploit their potential.
In the end, Lando Norris’s drop-off allowed Carlos Sainz to claim the second step on the podium, while Charles Leclerc had to settle for fourth place.
Source: f1ingenerale
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