Carlos Sainz has acknowledged that his Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, has been performing better at the Austin race due to the challenging track conditions at Circuit of The Americas.
Leclerc’s Strong Performance
In the recent races, Leclerc has demonstrated superior performance compared to Sainz. He secured pole position for Sunday’s main race and qualified second in the Saturday shootout. Meanwhile, Sainz achieved fourth and sixth places in the two sessions respectively.
Track Characteristics Impacting Performance
Sainz believes that the unique characteristics of the COTA track have affected his ability to optimize his car’s performance. This year, the bumps on the track have become more severe, making it challenging to find the optimal setup during the practice session (FP1).
“For me, it’s mainly track characteristics,” said Sainz when asked about his teammate’s advantage. The bumps on the COTA track have created additional difficulties in finding the ideal setup for the car, impacting overall performance.
Looking Ahead
Despite the challenges, Sainz remains positive about his future performances and is determined to overcome the track limitations. He is working closely with the Ferrari team to analyze and fine-tune the car’s setup to maximize performance on bumpy circuits like COTA.
In conclusion, the bumpy nature of the Circuit of The Americas track has given Charles Leclerc an advantage over his Ferrari teammate, Carlos Sainz. However, Sainz is eager to address these challenges and aims to improve his performance in future races.