Disappointing result for Ferrari in Austin

A podium in nine races, won on his home soil of Monza, the statistic for the Team Ferrari speaks for itself. So much Sebastian Vettel as Kimi Räikkönen still can't get the upper hand Red Bull Racing, led by his duo Ricciardo - Verstappen, both winners this year in Malaysia and Spain.

In Austin, the start of the SF16-H race seemed on track with Kimi Räikkönen having managed to pass Max Verstappen. But the switch to soft tires after a first stint on super-soft tires did not allow the Finn to maintain his good momentum.

“When we switched to soft tyres, I started to struggle, for some reason still unknown, underlines the 2007 World Champion. The balance was okay but I never really had the grip I expected. Once back on super-softs, the car was again as I wanted it. »

Iceman, however, did not see the finish, after a failed stop by the Scuderia, which left his driver leaving with a poorly secured wheel. A mishap which will be punished by a fine of $5000 for the Maranello team. “When I left after the third pit stop, I slowed down a little and asked if everything was okay because I saw sparks.

In the end, the team told me to stop. Now we need to figure out what happened, with that rear wheel nut not being secured properly. It's a shame because the car's performance today was interesting. »

For his part, Sebastian Vettel finished fourth, after trying to extend his first stint. It was the retirement of Max Verstappen which made the task easier for the German in the second part of the event, who was expecting a different scenario.

“The start wasn't perfect and in turn 1 I was very lucky as someone hit me, admits Vettel. Luckily nothing was broken and I was able to continue. Then the pace was good.

The race was a little different than we expected, and Max gave us a little treat today. Unfortunately, Kimi was forced to drop out. This could have been a good performance for the team with both cars in the points. »

Find the full report and analysis of the United States Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Austin, in issue 2086 of AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version, and this Wednesday on newsstands.