Charles Leclerc shows cautious optimism at the end of the Free Practice of the United States Grand Prix.
Ferraris are not the favorites in Austin and the lap times set by the Monegasque and his teammate, Carlos Sainz, proved it, as the SF21s remained far from the best.
However, this does not mean that Maranello’s work is to be thrown away and Leclerc underlines how much good the Prancing Horse guys have managed to do, at least on their side.
“In Free Practice 1 we did very well, especially when we ran with little fuel, a little less in Free 2, where we had very good impressions from the runs with a lot of fuel on board, which is the most important thing in view of Sunday”, explains the 24-year-old driver of the Red.
“However, the fact remains that it is a very demanding track, where it will be difficult to find the ideal balance between qualifying and the race”.
The spin of Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF21, during Free Practice 1
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
And speaking of the track: the Circuit of the Americas, as widely feared, caused headaches due to the so-called ‘bumps’, that is the disconnections of the asphalt that had already been the subject of discussions and controversies in the MotoGP event.
On Friday, the high temperatures also created difficulties in understanding how to make the Pirelli tires work best, as Leclerc points out.
“With these temperatures, things were no longer simple: in the first sector we went very well, but in the last very bad, because the tires were outside the optimal operating window”.
“In Saturday’s third practice session we still have to work to find the best balance before qualifying, perhaps staying a little more conservative in the first sector in order to have the best pace in the last part.”
“As for today’s work, we have completed the planned program, trying different solutions. The fact remains that there are a lot of bumps and bumps, so it is not easy to be precise in the fast lap as you usually have to do, which it makes everything much more complicated. “
Finally, the Monte Carlo native also spent a few words on the fight that sees Ferrari vying for third place with McLaren, which, however, seems in better shape in Texas.
“We have been very close since the beginning of the year. We have to try to be as consistent as possible by trying to get close and beat them, the goal is to find something that allows us to be ahead of them by the end of the year.”
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