Ferrari duo Sainz and Leclerc satisfied with ‘very high adrenaline’ Austin Sprint after display of strong pace

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were both pleased with their efforts in a thriller of a Sprint in Austin, with both involved in a myriad of battles that put on a show for the spectators at the Circuit of The Americas.

With Max Verstappen storming to victory from pole, Sainz and Leclerc would cross the line in second and fourth respectively at the end of the 19-lap spectacle.

READ MORE: Verstappen seals assured Sprint victory in Austin thriller ahead of Sainz and Norris

The opening laps were dominated by a fraught battle between the Ferrari pair, as Leclerc lost his P3 start to his team mate, before both pressured second-placed Norris on the final lap, allowing the Spaniard to expertly overtake him for P2.

Tyre management presented itself as a challenge for many drivers across the grid, but Sainz explained that he chose to prioritise progressing through the field to claim the seven points on offer for second place.

“Honestly they were very fun battles – a good Sprint,” he summarised. “I think if the Sprints are like this, you always enjoy them, that little bit of extra action. We had a lot of battles, especially the first five laps, a lot going on.

READ MORE: ‘Finally we’re racing again’ – Verstappen buoyed by Sprint victory at Circuit of The Americas

“Towards the end I was starting to struggle with the tyres but I saw Lando also struggling and I thought that if I could get into DRS then I would have my chance to finish in P2. We made it stick into Turn 1 and it was a fun one.

“The reality is that we didn’t manage much the tyres because we were in so many battles the whole time that we couldn’t really actually focus on tyre management too much. Even though we did that, our pace was still quite decent so it’s encouraging to see that maybe for tomorrow we have a good chance.”

His Monegasque team mate appeared slightly more downbeat after missing out on the podium by just 0.716s to Norris, but emphasised that Ferrari’s “race pace was really strong today”.

SPRINT START: Watch the opening lap from the Sprint in Austin as Verstappen defends the lead while Norris leaps up to second

He said: “We had quite a lot of fighting which is part of racing in a Sprint, so it was a very high adrenaline Sprint. My approach of trying to save a little bit more in the first five/six laps didn’t pay off and that was it.

“I started to push at the end and we were very fast, but then there was a DRS train in front with Carlos having the DRS of Lando and a close call on the last lap with Lando. All in all, P4, it’s the way it is.”