Max Verstappen and Lando Norris entered the US Grand Prix as the main protagonists: Verstappen, the dominant champion driving a less competitive car, and Norris, the determined challenger eager to close the gap.
However, the entire focus cannot be put on these two, especially if there is an incident between them at the front of the grid, which is a possibility. In that case, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc would love to swoop in and get a win for the Maranello-based squad.
On Friday, Leclerc finished P3 in Sprint Qualifying, which put him in a good spot to challenge for the podium in the weekend’s first race. But the Monegasque also hinted at getting in the mix for the Grand Prix win.
In an interview with Bein Sports, Leclerc said, “At the end of the day, it is going to be a tight battle until the end. I hope we can join that battle if they can do a bit of mess in the front.”
Leclerc let out a smile as soon as he said that because he too knows that Ferrari doesn’t have the pace to compete for wins at the front. “We cannot really quite rely on our pace,” he added.
The Grand Prix Qualifying takes place on Saturday afternoon and the race on Sunday, and how Leclerc fares in those remains to be seen. However, his P3 start in the Sprint did not bear much fruit, which suggested that he was right about his main pace prediction.
Leclerc’s disappointing US Grand Prix Sprint
Leclerc, despite starting from P3, got jumped by Norris at the start of the race and soon, it was his teammate Carlos Sainz, who was all over him.
Leclerc struggled to find the optimal pace to fend off Sainz, ultimately allowing the Spaniard to overtake him. However, toward the end of the race, while in P4 and pursuing Norris, he made a mistake—seemingly prompted by Norris moving under braking.
What a battle in the Sprint! Fantastic racing on display in Austin!#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/wYKuueEwPA
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) October 19, 2024
As a result, Leclerc finished P4, capping off a rather disappointing Sprint for him. He would now be looking to make amends in the qualifying session later on Saturday.
