Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) took pole position at the United States Grand Prix, the third of his Formula 1 career, and will start at the top of the…
Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) took pole position at the United States Grand Prix, the third of his Formula 1 career, and will start at the top of the grid on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas.
The Spaniard was ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc but the Monegasque, penalized after the installation of new parts to his power unit, will start ten rows down in 12th place, according to the provisional grid communicated by the organizers.
As a result, it is double world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull), author of the third fastest time, who will start on the front row immediately behind Sainz.
“It was great fun, very tricky with the wind gusts. I managed to do a good lap without making any mistakes. But Red Bull remains the favorite because they usually have the best pace of the race,” commented a red-hot Sainz Jr, who offers the Scuderia its first pole in Austin.
Its British rival, who learned in preparation for this qualifying session of the death at the age of 78 of its co-founder and owner, Austrian Dietrich Mateschitz, can hope to win the constructors’ title on Sunday.
Several scenarios are possible, the simplest being that his drivers, Max Verstappen and the Mexican Sergio Pérez, who will start in 9th position, despite the fourth time, because he too was penalized five places for a change engine beyond the authorized quota, finish ahead. of Sainz Jr and Leclerc.
A real possibility as Red Bull’s dominance in the race has been incredible since the start of the season.
Touched by the death of Dietrich Mateschitz, Verstappen admitted he had had a difficult end to the day. “This is difficult news for everyone, for Red Bull and for the sport, and for me in general,” he said.
“We just missed out on pole, but there’s a race tomorrow and we’ll try to win it for him,” added the Dutchman, who won in Austin last year and who, if he wins, could equal his record 13 wins in a season. Currently co-owned by Germans Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.
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