Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz set the pace in Friday’s practice sessions for the U.S. Grand Prix, leading a dominant one-two finish for the Scuderia team at the Circuit of the Americas. Sainz, who has been steadily improving throughout the 2024 Formula 1 season, topped the timing charts, narrowly edging out his teammate Charles Leclerc. This strong performance from the Ferrari duo has injected excitement into the team’s prospects ahead of the weekend’s race.
Sainz clocked the fastest lap in a tightly contested session, with Leclerc trailing by just a fraction of a second. The pair’s strong showing signals that Ferrari may be poised to challenge the usual dominance of Red Bull and Mercedes this weekend. The Circuit of the Americas, known for its challenging layout with high-speed straights and technical corners, appears to be suiting Ferrari’s SF-24 car, which has shown significant improvement in recent races.
Sainz’s performance reflects his growing confidence behind the wheel, and his ability to extract the most from his car. He has been consistently competitive throughout the season, securing podium finishes and often outperforming his rivals. Leclerc, too, has demonstrated that he is still a formidable force, ensuring Ferrari’s resurgence in the latter part of the season.
While it’s only practice, Ferrari’s strong showing has raised hopes that they could disrupt the usual race day hierarchy. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the reigning champion, finished the session behind the Ferrari duo, suggesting that the battle for pole position could be closer than expected.
For Ferrari, this practice session is a positive indicator that they are on the right track with their upgrades and race strategy. The team has been working tirelessly to close the gap to the front-runners, and Sainz leading the charge in practice provides a morale boost. However, both Sainz and Leclerc will be focused on carrying this momentum into qualifying and the race, where consistency and race pace will be key to translating this form into a successful result.
As the U.S. Grand Prix weekend progresses, all eyes will be on Ferrari to see if they can maintain their strong pace and challenge for the top step of the podium in Austin.