Leclerc: No creo que podamos lograr más.

Leclerc: No creo que podamos lograr más.

      Charles Leclerc terminó tercero en Austin y está contento de que el fin de semana haya terminado así…

      Pregunta: Charles, excelente estrategia, carrera brillante. Teniendo en cuenta dónde estabas el viernes, ¿estás satisfecho con este resultado?

      Charles Leclerc: Muy satisfecho. En la primera sesión de entrenamientos surgió un problema con la caja de cambios, por lo que la sesión tuvo que terminar antes de tiempo. Quedé inmediatamente un paso por detrás e intenté recuperar el tiempo perdido en la clasificación para la carrera sprint y en la propia sprint. Y luego, en la clasificación, ajustamos la puesta a punto y ganamos en velocidad. Teniendo en cuenta toda esta situación, el resultado es bueno.

      La segunda mitad resulta complicada. Hay rumores y conjeturas totalmente infundados alrededor del equipo. Y es realmente agradable demostrar que somos capaces de mantener la concentración en el trabajo y lograr podios.

      Pregunta: El factor decisivo de vuestro éxito fue la salida con blandos y esas más de cincuenta vueltas en las que te mantuviste por delante de Lando. ¿No pensaste que estabas arriesgando al elegir esa estrategia?

      Charles Leclerc: Sí, fue una estrategia agresiva. El plan era salir líder después de la primera curva. No lo conseguí del todo, pero gané una posición, lo que me permitió quedar en pista limpia y ayudó en la carrera. De nuevo, sabía que el plan era agresivo, pero, teniendo en cuenta las sensaciones con los neumáticos duros en el entrenamiento del viernes, estaba totalmente seguro de que no quería usarlos en la carrera.

      Así que sí, estaba un poco preocupado cuando el ingeniero se puso en contacto conmigo por radio en la parrilla de salida y resulté ser el único que salía con neumáticos blandos. Pensé: «Vale, quizá no entendí bien». Pero al final resultó ser una buena elección.

      Pregunta: ¿Cuánto de inesperado fue el ataque de Lando a cuatro vueltas del final? ¿Estabas seguro de que ya no te representaba amenaza?

      Charles Leclerc: Lando estuvo cuatro o cinco vueltas enfriando los neumáticos, y yo sabía que cuando volviera, sería difícil mantenerle detrás. Lo intenté, durante algunas vueltas lo conseguí, pero hacia el final de la carrera los neumáticos empezaron a fallar.

      Pregunta: Por delante está la carrera en México, donde el año pasado ganó Carlos Sainz con Ferrari…

      Charles Leclerc: Sí. Pero ahora todo es diferente. No, sigo queriendo creer que podremos ganar una carrera antes de que termine la temporada. Pero no tenemos un coche capaz de hacerlo.

      Creo que el fin de semana en Austin fue ideal para nuestro equipo; me sorprendería que pudiésemos lograr algo más antes de que acabe el año. Pero afrontamos cada carrera de forma individual. Veremos qué se puede hacer.

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After the United States Grand Prix he rated the main protagonists on a 10-point scale, and even one character well known to us, who usually remains off-camera, made it into his personal ranking. In Austin we saw a rather respectable performance from Ferrari, if not more. Charles Leclerc was excellent, Lewis Hamilton also looked dignified. When you are tormented by thirst, even a light rain is already good. Besides, as they say in America, "we've got a new sheriff in town." Although in reality it's the same one: Max Verstappen put on a vivid show, officially returning to the title chase. McLaren, however, is beginning to get nervous. Lando Norris minimized the damage by finishing second, but Oscar Piastri, who leads the drivers' standings, was virtually invisible. I repeat: we saw that Ferrari's fortunes are improving; Leclerc drove simply excellently, rising to the podium, and the Scuderia is cutting the gap in the constructors' standings to a rather mediocre Mercedes – partly thanks to Hamilton's fourth place. Only Kimi Antonelli was very unlucky: when he was not that far from the leading group, Williams driver Carlos Sainz crashed into him. And now, on a 10-point scale, the ratings for the main protagonists. 10 – Verstappen. He is returning to his old habits, i.e., leading in proud isolation, because the superb Red Bull once again allows it. In Texas Super Max truly stood out: he took two poles, won the sprint and dominated the United States Grand Prix. And if just four rounds ago he was more than a hundred points behind the championship leader, look at the situation in the individual standings now… 9 – Leclerc. He acted aggressively from the very start, did not let McLaren intimidate him and controlled the race the way a team leader should. After so many Grands Prix that Charles spent in complete obscurity while in melancholy, this time he fought at the front. Naturally, that's better than nothing. 8 – Colayanni. I mention old-timer Luca Colayanni, who now heads McLaren's press office, just to tease him a little. He now wears the orange uniform, but in the sprint his team scored zero points, and on Sunday they lost to Verstappen. In any case he became the first of the former Ferrari press chiefs to come close to winning the world championship. Keep it up! 7.5 – Norris. McLaren no longer looks like a rocket, but Lando still made his mark. Fighting Leclerc, he showed genuine grit, yet Verstappen was simply on another planet. Definitely, McLaren has some problem. Maybe even more than one. 7 – Hamilton. Lewis performed normally, even if he eased off the pace at times during the race. But it seems that overall his interaction with the team is becoming increasingly effective, and we see signs of progress compared with some previous performances that could only cause bewilderment. However, he has still never stood on the podium in Ferrari overalls, and by the numbers he has already broken Ivan Capelli's unwanted record that had stood since 1992. 7 – Vasseur. He is making progress after all. After John Elkann, Ferrari's president, made a statement in his support, the head of the Scuderia can celebrate the best race the SF-25 cars have had this season. At least, that's my opinion. Ferrari took points off Mercedes in the bid to finish second in the Constructors' Cup, and that, I repeat, is better than nothing. 5 – Piastri. Oscar is falling into a black hole. It seems he should see a psychoanalyst. He no longer shines, racing in a defensive manner – perhaps he sees Verstappen's inexorable approach, and it is becoming a nightmare for him? Either he will find the strength to recover quickly, or the beautiful fairy tale about Oscar will not have a happy ending. 4 – Sainz. In one weekend he slid from prince to the dirt. In the sprint the former Ferrari driver, now racing for Williams, deservedly finished in the top three. But apparently he was overwhelmed by emotions, and because of that he crashed into the blameless Kimi Antonelli. Of course, the Spaniard's actions are regrettable, but I feel even more sorry for the lad from Bologna. When Ferrari delights its fans, Leo Turrini, whose comments we periodically cite, does not stint on praise. The veteran of Italian motorsport journalism is generally distinguished by the fact that he always tries to spot some positive moments – of course, if they exist. After the United States Grand Prix he rated the main protagonists on a 10-point scale, and even one character well known to us, who usually remains off-camera, made it into his personal ranking. In Austin we saw a rather respectable performance from Ferrari, if not more. Charles Leclerc was excellent, Lewis Hamilton also looked dignified. When you are tormented by thirst, even a light rain is already good. Besides, as they say in America, "we've got a new sheriff in town." Although in reality it's the same one: Max Verstappen put on a vivid show, officially returning to the title chase. McLaren, however, is beginning to get nervous. Lando Norris minimized the damage by finishing second, but Oscar Piastri, who leads the drivers' standings, was virtually invisible. I repeat: we saw that Ferrari's fortunes are improving; Leclerc drove simply excellently, rising to the podium, and the Scuderia is cutting the gap in the constructors' standings to a rather mediocre Mercedes – partly thanks to Hamilton's fourth place. Only Kimi Antonelli was very unlucky: when he was not that far from the leading group, Williams driver Carlos Sainz crashed into him. And now, on a 10-point scale, the ratings for the main protagonists. 10 – Verstappen. He is returning to his old habits, i.e., leading in proud isolation, because the superb Red Bull once again allows it. In Texas Super Max truly stood out: he took two poles, won the sprint and dominated the United States Grand Prix. And if just four rounds ago he was more than a hundred points behind the championship leader, look at the situation in the individual standings now… 9 – Leclerc. He acted aggressively from the very start, did not let McLaren intimidate him and controlled the race the way a team leader should. After so many Grands Prix that Charles spent in complete obscurity while in melancholy, this time he fought at the front. Naturally, that's better than nothing. 8 – Colayanni. I mention old-timer Luca Colayanni, who now heads McLaren's press office, just to tease him a little. He now wears the orange uniform, but in the sprint his team scored zero points, and on Sunday they lost to Verstappen. In any case he became the first of the former Ferrari press chiefs to come close to winning the world championship. Keep it up! 7.5 – Norris. McLaren no longer looks like a rocket, but Lando still made his mark. Fighting Leclerc, he showed genuine grit, yet Verstappen was simply on another planet. Definitely, McLaren has some problem. Maybe even more than one. 7 – Hamilton. Lewis performed normally, even if he eased off the pace at times during the race. But it seems that overall his interaction with the team is becoming increasingly effective, and we see signs of progress compared with some previous performances that could only cause bewilderment. However, he has still never stood on the podium in Ferrari overalls, and by the numbers he has already broken Ivan Capelli's unwanted record that had stood since 1992. 7 – Vasseur. He is making progress after all. After John Elkann, Ferrari's president, made a statement in his support, the head of the Scuderia can celebrate the best race the SF-25 cars have had this season. At least, that's my opinion. Ferrari took points off Mercedes in the bid to finish second in the Constructors' Cup, and that, I repeat, is better than nothing. 5 – Piastri. Oscar is falling into a black hole. It seems he should see a psychoanalyst. He no longer shines, racing in a defensive manner – perhaps he sees Verstappen's inexorable approach, and it is becoming a nightmare for him? Either he will find the strength to recover quickly, or the beautiful fairy tale about Oscar will not have a happy ending. 4 – Sainz. In one weekend he slid from prince to the dirt. In the sprint the former Ferrari driver, now racing for Williams, deservedly finished in the top three. But apparently he was overwhelmed by emotions, and because of that he crashed into the blameless Kimi Antonelli. Of course, the Spaniard's actions are regrettable, but I feel even more sorry for the lad from Bologna. Cuando Ferrari alegra a sus aficionados, Leo Turini, cuyos comentarios citamos periódicamente, no escatima elogios... Vaulz: La lucha en la pista a veces provoca incidentes. Vaulz: La lucha en la pista a veces provoca incidentes. Los resultados mixtos de Williams en el fin de semana estadounidense fueron comentados por el director del equipo, James Vowles...

Leclerc: No creo que podamos lograr más.

Charles Leclerc terminó tercero en Austin y está contento de que el fin de semana haya terminado así…