The main storyline when the Las Vegas Grand Prix grid arrived in Sin City was the battle for the F1 Drivers' Championship. Max Verstappen is on the brink of winning his fourth consecutive title, and the main theme this week is whether he can fend off Lando Norris in that clash, or whether the McLaren driver is still in the running for the title for at least another week. It was about whether I could hold out hope.
However, the three-way battle between McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull for the constructors' championship is not lost. at the moment McLaren take 36 points Red Bull leads Ferrari, 49 points behind third-placed McLaren. However, Carlos Sainz Jr. will start second in tonight's Las Vegas Grand Prix, with teammate Charles Leclerc starting fourth, meaning the Ferrari duo will start ahead of both Norris and Oscar Piastri. .
This gives Ferrari a great chance to close McLaren's lead later tonight.
Speech after qualifying FIA press conferenceSainz pointed to the occasion and put it in the context of the Qatar Grand Prix, where Ferrari is concerned that the SF-24 will not be a fit.
“Well, I'm a little worried about Qatar, because if you look at Turn 1 and Turn 3, that's exactly the type of corner you have in Qatar. When you combine fourth, fifth and long gears, it's exactly the kind of corner that we struggle with. That's what I've been doing,'' Sainz said on Friday night. “And today, in that very field, [Mercedes]the difference was three-tenths. So if we keep adding these corners it could be tough for us in Qatar.
“Tomorrow is a good opportunity to pick up points because we could lose points in Qatar. So, yeah, I think we'll go into the race aiming to win, because that's what we should be aiming for. I also know that McLaren is inferior. So we're definitely going to have a weekend in Qatar where we're losing points because the two cars are trying to get as many points as possible to win against McLaren. It is necessary to acquire them, and beyond that You have to realize that there are about 30 points. That's a lot.”
Sainz also revealed that the constructors' championship is the goal for him and Leclerc.
“I think we are both interested in winning the constructors' championship first, I'm not going to lie,” Sainz declared. “I think we're both very motivated to do that and we're working with each other more than ever. It's also helped me with the two or three zeros I've had this season. , because I fell far short of him in the championship.”
“And even if I drive well, I don't think the personal battle for the drivers' championship continues. And this means that we have a common interest in winning the constructors' championship. I mean, because we're both leaving it in the championship. And like I said, we're working together more than ever and working together as much as we can. ” Sainz added. “And we go into tomorrow knowing that that is our top priority.”
Time will tell whether Ferrari can make the most of its opportunity at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
