Charles Leclerc says he took victory by predicting how Max Verstappen and Lando Norris would fight at the start of the United States Grand Prix.
Ferrari dominated COTA after Leclerc took the lead at turn one from fourth on the grid, with Carlos Sainz ahead of Max Verstappen to take second. Leclerc said Verstappen and Norris both benefited by going wide at the first corner and expected the two title rivals to battle each other.
“I knew Max and Lando were very aggressive toward each other,” Leclerc said. “I mean, they’re fighting for a championship. I got off to a good start. When I saw Max heading to the inside like Lando, I said, ‘I’ll just prepare for the corner exit,’ and of course I won. “From that moment on, I could focus solely on my race.”
Leclerc led home Sainz 1-2 as Ferrari closed to within eight points of Red Bull in the constructors’ championship and the Monegasque said he was able to make a comfortable run to the flag after his early start.
“It feels really good because every win feels special in itself. Obviously, I’ve felt really good about this car from the beginning,” he said. “I was pretty confident from yesterday because even though there was quite a bit of fighting, the car felt good and I knew we had good race pace.
“We were a little more skeptical about qualifying, but P4 was good. I mean, we were in it. [fight for] P1. Then after that start, when I came out in first place on Route 1, I knew it was all about using yesterday’s car speed and trying to take care of my tires. The car felt good. From that moment on, it was a bit of a lonely race, but it was pretty lonely. I hope we can replicate this in the future.”
After a competitive race at a track expected to suit Ferrari, Leclerc believes his performance at COTA bodes well for the remainder of the season.
“We rely on very small differences that can make a big difference,” he said. “It’s very difficult to predict where we will be over the next few races. But we’ve brought in a few upgrades since two or three races at Monza, Baku and Singapore and we were always waiting for Austin because it would be a real test for those upgrades. Everything seems to be working fine.
“It’s positive for the future. This doesn’t mean we’ll spend every Sunday like today, but it does mean we’re working in the right direction, and that can be a positive thing. “I hope we can replicate these results more often.”
