F1 | Ferrari, Laurent Mekies: “It promises to be a very tough race”

Ferrari is the first of the others in Austin: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz qualified with the fifth and sixth best times respectively in qualifying in Texas, but both gained a position on the grid thanks to Valtteri Bottas' penalty. A more than excellent result for the red car, which on Friday seemed to be a step behind its direct rival for third place in the constructors' championship, McLaren. The two from team papaya, however, will be immediately behind the two SF21s on yellow tyres, while Carlos Sainz will be the only one in the top eight who will have to sprint on red tyres. The high temperatures expected for the race seem to herald a difficult race for the Spaniard, who will have to study his strategy in detail, while Charles has the possibility of grabbing a podium within his reach once again: anything can happen up until turn one between the two on the front row, and Leclerc will have to take advantage of every opportunity to make up for the podiums missed in previous races.

“We knew that the characteristics of this circuit were not the best on paper for our package, especially compared to our main rivals. Furthermore, a condition common to all, it was not easy to find the optimal settings on an asphalt that has many bumps, especially because the drivers need to "feel" the confidence in the car to be able to give their best - explained sporting director Laurent Mekies – we all worked a lot together on this aspect both yesterday and today, trying different solutions and, in the end, I think we put both Charles and Carlos in a position to get the most out of the SF21 and they responded fantastically throughout the sixty minutes of this qualification.

“Tomorrow promises to be a very tough race, for the drivers and the cars – continues Mekies – we expect very high temperatures, which will affect tire management on an already very abrasive asphalt. The work of preparing the strategy and its execution will be fundamental. As always, we will do our best, also to give joy to the many Ferrari fans who are here in Austin."