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    GP Pitwall

    2024 RACE REVIEW

    A majestic performance from start to finish would be a good way to sum up Scuderia Ferrari HP’s United States Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc took command of the race from the start and controlled it to the end, while Carlos Sainz did not have too much of a struggle to move up to second place, running an aggressive strategy, combined with the SF-24s excellent tyre management properties. An impeccable job from the drivers, mechanics, engineers and strategists and the team back in Maranello delivered the Scuderia’s 87th one-two finish, the second this season after Australia and the third with this driver pairing. Between today’s race and the Sprint, the team picked up 55 points, a record for the team. It means that Scuderia Ferrari HP is still in with a chance of fighting for the Constructors’ title, currently 54 points behind McLaren and only 8 behind Red Bull. It is Ferrari’s 247th Formula 1 win, Leclerc’s eighth, which keeps him third in the Drivers’ standings, with Carlos still fifth after securing his sixth podium finish of the season.
    Track Temperature46.5°C
    Humidity38%
    Air Temperature28.5 °C
    Wind Speed6.1-2.5 km/h S
    • CHARLES LECLERC
    • Race Result1
    • Fastest Lap1:37.834
    • Pit Stop23.817 s
    • Race Time1:35:09.639
    • Gap from leader+0.0 s
    avg speed
    top speed
    avg speed
    top speed
    • CARLOS SAINZ
    • Race Result2
    • Fastest Lap1:37.763
    • Pit Stop23.963 s
    • Race Time1:35:18.201
    • Gap from leader+8.562 s
    avg speed
    top speed
    avg speed
    top speed
    Tyres
    Charles Leclerc
    N. Pit Stop1
    Total laps56
    pit
    10
    20
    30
    40
    50
    Race laps
    26
    56
    Percentage set used
    Medium
    46 %
    Hard
    54 %
    Carlos Sainz
    N. Pit Stop1
    Total Laps56
    pit
    10
    20
    30
    40
    50
    Race laps
    21
    56
    Percentage set used
    Medium
    38 %
    Hard
    63 %
    “
    It was the perfect Sunday.
    We have done a very good job this weekend, scoring a lot of points but we have to stay focussed and not think we are champions just because of today’s result. Our pace was always under control as was the strategy with both drivers and when you have the slight advantage we had today, it is much easier to do a good job. The car has improved a lot in terms of its driveability compared to where we were a few races ago and that has contributed to the result.Charles had a perfect start and managed the tyres well, while with Carlos we had to pit him earlier than planned in order to undercut Max (Verstappen). Once he was in free air he was able to set his pace and he was able to secure second place.Next week in Mexico will be a completely different story with the altitude making it a one-off race, adding to the challenge, where you have to focus a lot on cooling. Just because you are quick in Austin, it doesn’t mean you will be quick in Mexico. This one-two is great motivation for next week. As for the championship, we are taking it one race at a time, but there are still plenty of points available, including those from the Sprints so everything is still possible. Now we are completely focussed on Mexico where we hope to continue this positive trend.
    Frédéric Vasseur
    “
    It feels good to bring home a victory at the start of this triple header.
    The whole team did an amazing job to make this happen and a 1-2 brings us a good amount of points in the fight for the Constructors’ title. It’s an optimistic target, but we will never stop dreaming until it is done.It feels good to bring home a victory at the start of this triple header. The whole team did an amazing job to make this happen and a 1-2 brings us a good amount of points in the fight for the Constructors’ title. It’s an optimistic target, but we will never stop dreaming until it is done.I had a good start, leveraging the fact that Max (Verstappen) pushed hard into turn 1, and Lando (Norris) defended from him. I lined up my exit and overtook both of them. After that, I knew it would be a matter of taking good care of my tyres and just bringing it home. Our pace was really strong from the first lap onwards and I felt that I could pull away from Max quite comfortably. We’ve made a really good step in terms of our race trim, and hopefully, we will keep it up in the next few races. We will do everything to maximise our results and at the end of the year, we will do the maths and see where we stand.
    Charles Leclerc
    #Charles16
    “
    For the team this was basically the perfect weekend,
    so mega congrats to everyone both here and at home. My race was compromised at the start as I got blocked by Lando (Norris) and Max (Verstappen) fighting in front of me, which meant I did the first stint in Max’s dirty air. We had an issue and for some laps I was concerned but we managed to address it and used our pace to undercut Max and finish in P2.It’s great to be able to go on the attack with this car and we want to fight until the last race for the Constructors’ Championship. We have to continue working like this for the remaining races, starting in Mexico City next week.
    Carlos Sainz
    #Carlos55
    CARLOS SAINZ QUALIFYING SESSIONS
    Q1 - SOFT TIRE
    1:33.556
    Q2 - SOFT TIRE
    1:32.836
    Q3 - SOFT TIRE
    1:32.652
    POSITION
    3
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +0.322 s
    CHARLES LECLERC QUALIFYING SESSIONS
    Q1 - SOFT TIRE
    1:33.241
    Q2 - SOFT TIRE
    1:32.962
    Q3 - SOFT TIRE
    1:32.740
    POSITION
    4
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +0.410 s
    “
    It wasn’t a bad qualifying.
    I was struggling a bit in the final sector, so tomorrow I’ll try to improve there. The rest of the lap felt more or less okay and it seems we are in decent shape. Congratulations to Charles for grabbing pole for the team. We’ll try to score some good points over the whole weekend.
    Carlos Sainz
    #Carlos55
    “
    On Sprint weekends, it’s important to get it right, starting from FP1.
    We did a great job as a team to prepare the car and so it felt good to drive from the very start as well as during all the phases of qualifying. My lap in Q3 was good and I’m very happy, as I love racing on this track and the atmosphere in this city is amazing. Tomorrow, we start from scratch again, with the whole day given over to the Sprint, but for now we can enjoy this pole position for Sunday.
    Charles Leclerc
    #Charles16
    CARLOS SAINZ SPRINT SESSION
    POSITION
    2
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +3.882 s
    FASTEST LAP
    1:37.552
    CHARLES LECLERC SPRINT SESSION
    POSITION
    4
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +6.956 s
    FASTEST LAP
    1:37.748
    CHARLES LECLERC SPRINT QUALI
    Q1 - SOFT TIRE
    1:33.647
    Q2 - SOFT TIRE
    1:33.392
    Q3 - SOFT TIRE
    1:33.059
    POSITION
    3
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +0.226 s
    CARLOS SAINZ SPRINT QUALI
    Q1 - SOFT TIRE
    1:34.109
    Q2 - SOFT TIRE
    1:33.274
    Q3 - SOFT TIRE
    1:33.089
    POSITION
    5
    GAP FROM LEADER
    +0.256 s
    “
    Not the ideal result, but P3 is not too bad as a starting position for the Sprint Race
    and we will push to make up some places tomorrow.Our pace looked good on the Medium, but on the Soft we didn’t quite have the pace to challenge for P1 today. The lap was a bit scrappy, but overall, the feeling wasn’t great which happens, especially when you’ve had limited running time in practice.We still don’t have a clear picture of everyone’s race pace so I hope we have a strong Sprint Race as that would be a positive sign for Sunday.
    Charles Leclerc
    #Charles16
    “
    It was a very tight Sprint Qualifying and overall the session wasn’t too bad.
    We did good laps in SQ1 and SQ2 with the Medium tyre, but we missed a bit with the Soft. On the last flying lap in SQ3 it was all about the slightest of details but we still have tomorrow to go at it again.On the race pace I think we could be competitive so I expect an interesting Sprint Race tomorrow where we will fight to gain some positions.
    Carlos Sainz
    #Carlos55
    Carlos Sainz Practice sessions
    FP1 - POSITION: 1
    1:33.602
    Charles Leclerc Practice sessions
    FP1 - POSITION: 2
    1:33.623
    Sectors
    Turns
    Max Speed
    DRS
    • LocationAustin
    • First GP1959
    • Circuit length5.513 km
    • Race Distance308.405 km
    • Laps56
    • Lap Record1:36.169Charles Leclerc (2019)
    Circuit of The Americas, Austin
    Formula 1 returned to the United States in 2012, at a brand new venue, the Circuit of the Americas, a spectacular facility with a 5.513 km track, whose corners recall various classics from around the world. The vertiginous climb to the first corner reminds one of the old Austrian circuit, then there’s a section of flowing turns that resembles Suzuka, and it reprises the script of many of the new breed of circuit with its hard braking points at the end of long straights. It’s a popular venue with the drivers, partly because it requires a compromise to get a car that is good in the corners but also competitive down the straights.
    The first sector
    After the vertiginous climb up to turn 1, there’s a wonderful and definitely demanding section from turns three to six, which needs to be tackled with precision to get a good lap time.
    Turn 11
    The second sector is the one with the overtaking opportunities, making the most of the long straight and the DRS, that can help all the way to the right angle turn 12. It’s vital therefore to get a good exit out of the hairpin.
    • 11
      RACE WINS
    • 9
      POLE POSITIONS
    • 12
      FASTEST LAPS
    • 29
      PODIUMS
    yeardrivermodel
    1975
    Lauda
    312 T
    1978
    Reutemann
    312 T3
    1979
    Villeneuve
    312 T4
    2000
    Schumacher
    F1-2000
    2002
    Barrichello
    F2002
    2003
    Schumacher
    F2003 - GA
    2004
    Schumacher
    F2004
    2005
    Schumacher
    F2005
    2006
    Schumacher
    248 F1
    2018
    Raikkonen
    SF71H
    2024
    Leclerc
    SF24