The most ostentatious grand prix on the calendar served up one of the most unpredictable qualifying sessions of the season, a training session that caught several of the favorites off guard to the same extent that it catapulted those who should be less so. It may be a coincidence, but what better symbol than Ferrari to try to make up for the disastrous start to the weekend in Las Vegas. A Thursday to forget for drivers, teams and fans, who went to sleep at midnight, and were pissed off after being evicted by the organization, overcome by a setback as strange as the sealing of the circuit’s sewers. With all that fuss in the run-up, adaptation to the track had to be quick, and there were those who did not arrive on time. It is not usual for the decisive eliminator of the qualifying session to start without the two McLarens, without Lewis Hamilton and without Checo Pérez, in the same way that dominance like that of the Scuderia is not normal.
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In a last fast lap on a practically frozen asphalt, Charles Leclerc took his fifth pole position and the 23rd of his record, a figure that allows him to surpass the 22 that he until now shared with Fernando Alonso and that places him only one of the 24 by Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet. Ferrari would monopolize the first row of the grid if it weren’t for the absurd sanction that the stewards imposed on Carlos Sainz, a victim of the incident with the sinkhole that altered the entire agenda on Friday. The Spaniard, who with the penalty for using the third electronic control unit of his car will start twelfth, was less than half a tenth behind his teammate in the red car workshop, which will start with the intention of taking first triumph of the course. In his favor will be the profile of the track, a mix of Singapore and Monza, two of the events in which the Il Cavallino Rampante brand shone most. Of course, the Monegasque will not have an easy time if we take into account that Max Verstappen will be placed next to him, somewhat less sharp than usual, but eager to continue expanding the absolute record for victories in the same year.
There is no peace for Ferrari, which in Sin City had one of the most favorable scenarios to win again, something that only Sainz (Singapore) has achieved this exercise, and that, due to an anomaly, a kind of failure in Matrix, His chances were reduced by half after the punishment imposed on the Madrid native. “I’m still quite angry about what happened yesterday, although I try not to show it,” summarized the son of the two-time world rally champion (1990 and 1992), aware of how difficult it will be for him to show his head ahead, starting from the sixth row. . The same commissioners who imposed the sanction were delving into the regulations to look for a possible escape route, aware of the incongruity of the matter, but they acknowledged not having found it. It also didn’t help that there was no unanimity among the teams.
“What happened [el viernes] It is a very clear example of how this discipline can be improved in many ways. The International Automobile Federation (FIA), the teams and the regulations. It is clear that in this case the concept of force majeure could have been applied,” Sainz agreed, convinced that he could discuss the glory with his workshop neighbor, if it were not for the blow he received. “In front of the commissioners I did what I could, but it is clear that what happened is completely unfair, given that neither we nor Carlos had anything to do with it. Of course, we pay the price for everything,” said Fred Vasseur, director of the Maranello structure.
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2023-11-18 10:06:33
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