Carlos Sainz has played down Ferrari's chances of race victory, believing that Red Bull could carry on their season-long habit of fighting back in the race. Sainz narrowly took Pole Position ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen for the US Grand Prix. However, Ferrari's chances of victory will be reduced by Leclerc's ten-place grid penalty, which is likely to leave Sainz to fight against Verstappen. Speaking after qualifying, Sainz was delighted with securing his second P1 qualifying result of the season. "That was a lot of fun. It's very tricky out here with these winds, so every corner is a bit of an adventure," Sainz told media. "We don't know how much quicker we're going to get or how much we can expect, but I managed to put together a good lap without mistakes."
Sainz anticipating Red Bull fightback
Ferrari have competed strongly against Red Bull for one-lap pace in 2022. However, on several occasions the Milton Keynes team have fought back in the races, a key strength of their season. Sainz commented that, despite his victory hopes, he feared another Red Bull comeback. "Yeah, I'm not going to lie, I think Red Bull are still favourites. I think they normally have the better race pace," added Sainz. "They normally get us in the race because Max does a great job, and Red Bull has a very good car in race trim. "We're going to do everything we can to try and stay ahead tomorrow, and to win the race would be an amazing way to start these last four races."
Most read
