Formula 1 United States GP

Leclerc: Ferrari race pace should offer US GP victory chance

Leclerc believes Ferrari can win the F1 race at Austin if it maintains its sprint race pace

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Tiffany Cromwell and Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Jock Clear, Senior Performance Engineer, Scuderia Ferrari with Mattia Binotto, CEO and CTO, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Andy Cowell, Group CEO, Aston Martin F1 Team, on the grid

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Red Bull Racing RB20 steering wheel of Sergio Perez

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

The grid with a view of Turn 1 ahead of the Sprint

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team, gets out of the car on the grid

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber, removes his helmet on the grid

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team, on the grid

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber, on the grid

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, on the grid

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Shaboozey and Gordon Ramsey pose in front of the car of Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, on the grid

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Zhou Guanyu, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber, removes his helmet on the grid

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, the rest of the field at the start of the Sprint

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, the rest of the field at the start of the Sprint race

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, the rest of the field away

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Race start, as drivers race into the first corner

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, the remainder of the field at the start of the Sprint

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, the rest of the field at the start of the Sprint race

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44 battles with Zhou Guanyu, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, 1st position, in Parc Ferme

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, congratulate each other in Parc Ferme

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, chat in Parc Ferme

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 3rd position, chat in Parc Ferme

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, celebrates in Parc Ferme

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Sting with the Sprint top 3: Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 3rd position

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Marshals clear away the car of Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

The car of Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44, is moved away on a flatbed truck

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44 wooden plank detail

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President, FIA

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Mattia Binotto, CEO and CTO, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber, watches down the pit lane

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Mondo Duplantis and his fiancée Desiré Inglander

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Pato O'Ward, Reserve Driver, McLaren F1 Team

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Pole man Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, parks his car in Parc Ferme

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Pole man Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, celebrates in Parc Ferme

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Liam Lawson, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, and Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team for Sky Sports F1

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, chats with Pole man Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, in Parc Ferme

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, receives his Pirelli Pole Position Award from Pole Vaulter Armand Duplantis

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Top three qualifiers Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, pole man Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari

2024 United States Grand Prix - Saturday

Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari remains in contention for Formula 1 victory at the United States Grand Prix despite falling short of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in qualifying.

Leclerc took fourth on the grid, just 0.09 seconds away from team-mate Carlos Sainz as the Spaniard clinched third for Sunday's race at Austin.

The Monegasque did not think the early end to Q3 - caused by George Russell's crash at Turn 19 - would have made too much difference to his position, feeling that third was the maximum achievable result and cited a "limitation" with Ferrari's SF-24 in the opening sector.

He said this made it difficult to approach Norris and Verstappen in qualifying, but explained that this was much less of an issue in race trim. Further to this, Leclerc reckoned that a victory remained possible for Ferrari if it could repeat its sprint race pace - in which Sainz took second on the last lap from Norris.

"None of us were capable of going to fight with the top two. They were too fast, but that's also what we expected as a team," Leclerc explained.

"The first sector in qualifying yesterday and today, we knew we have a limitation in our car at the moment. And none of the set-up options we thought of would cure that issue.

"But in the race, we have a lot less of that issue. And so that's why I'm a bit more optimistic for the race.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

"If we see the same race pace as [Saturday] morning, for sure the race win is possible. I think McLaren and Red Bull most likely will do a step forward in terms of car set-up and we need to see how much of a step forward that is on lap times."

Leclerc explained that the tyre degradation that Ferrari was experiencing was "quite balanced" and that he had learned from being over-conservative in his sprint-race battle with Sainz that he could take more out of the tyres.

"As a driver, you can play with whether you want to have front degradation or rear degradation," he explained.

"It depends a little bit on how you drive, and we'll see how everybody manages tyres tomorrow.

"For sure, [pushing earlier] depends also on our strategy and how many laps we need to do in the first stint. I've learned from [the sprint], which most likely was not the ideal scenario for me [getting passed by Sainz], but we'll try to make it ideal [in the race]."

On Ferrari's limitations, he added: "[In sector one] it's more the bottoming and the actual bumps on the track which offset us a lot and we have so much, we are touching quite a lot, so this makes it very tricky for us. But it's not the bouncing this time."