Saturday, October 19, 2024, 10:05 p.m.
No one can consider Max Verstappen dead yet, or not as long as he has something to say. With all eyes on the illegality that Red Bull has confessed that they have but that, they say, they do not use. With Lando Norris, who had cut him down until he was almost within reach in the World Cup. With the Ferraris and the Mercedes willing to play a leading role. Sprint races are the territory of the Dutch.
Four sprints, four victories. This is the balance that the still World Cup leader has in this format in 2024, with two Saturday races still pending for Brazil and Qatar. To a large extent, this result has been helped by the lack of competitiveness shown by Norris, who, as his Spanish detractors tell him, was softer than Lando in the short race of the United States GP in Austin.
The one who showed his toughest side was Carlos Sainz, the absolute protagonist of the 19 laps competed before the classification that would decide the pole for the real race this Sunday. The man from Madrid had no mercy either with his teammate Charles Leclerc, nor with his good friend Norris, nor with his rival George Russell. All of them fell under the yoke of Sainz, who finished second and was the one who gave the most spectacle in the first of the two competitive events this Saturday.
The one who did not shine, but quite the opposite, was Fernando Alonso. Second to last and thanks, with serious speed problems and, in addition, having to deal with the almost rookie Liam Lawson, who made his re-debut in place of the defenestrated Daniel Ricciardo in the RB Visa App which Alonso, like many fans, still calls AlphaTauri. An 18th place is unacceptable even in a sprint event, although Aston Martin takes these Saturdays as a kind of testing laboratory for improvements that are yet to come.
In a race like a sprint in which there is more to lose than win, Verstappen did not allow anyone to take the first position from him at the start. In the barely 19 laps that had to be competed, the Dutchman did the only thing he could do, pull, while behind Russell was not only unable to pass him or make things difficult for him, but a great start from Norris allowed him to take second with a great line at the peak of the first corner.
Sainz’s brilliant career
The Ferraris were involved in that fight, with Leclerc initially as the winner, because Sainz could not beat him to the position… or at least not initially. And the thing is that the man from Madrid started with much more rhythm than his still teammate Leclerc and they starred in a dog-eat-dog fight. Without giving up anything, because they no longer owe each other anything, and which ended with a great overtaking by the Spaniard that, in another context, would have been too aggressive between drivers defending the same shield. Leclerc didn’t give anything up either, but as was immediately demonstrated, Sainz was right.
And the pace of the Spaniard from Ferrari immediately allowed him to get into the top zone and fight for the podium. Sainz showed that he was in the mood for victory in this short race, and his next victim in just two laps was Russell, whom he passed at the same point as Leclerc. In defense of the British Mercedes driver, he ran out of left front tire in that same battle with Sainz. The aggressiveness of the Madrid native that was missing in other events appeared in all its splendor.
After Russell and with Leclerc trying to catch him but failing, Sainz’s next victim was Norris. The candidate for the title, or so he claims, tried to save the furniture this Saturday after the mistake that cost him the front row on Friday, and he only half succeeded. The good start to the race was diluted in the final stretch, with two mistakes, including one right under the nose of Leclerc, who had to swerve to avoid wearing it. If Norris wants to take the title out of Verstappen’s hands, he cannot allow himself many more performances like this Saturday’s, especially when rivals sneak in between him.
All is not lost for Norris, far from it. There remains this Sunday’s race, where everyone is playing for the big prize. Given what we have seen, those who start with a slight competitive advantage in Austin are the men from Ferrari, who also still have the opportunity to fight for second place in the Constructors’ World Championship against Red Bull between now and the end of the year. And given that Checo Pérez is neither here nor expected, Sainz is still in a position to provide great service to Ferrari.
