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Carlos Sainz is determining whether to use a fresh power unit for the French Grand Prix.
Should the Spaniard pursue this could trigger a grid penalty at Circuit Paul Ricard.
While in Austria, Carlos was on course to get a podium but then his power unit failed leading to massive damage to his F1-75. This resulted in him having a fourth DNF.
Since Sainz has used his maximum allowance of three ICE, turbochargers and MGU-Hs, there would be a grid penalty.
Carlos claimed, “It’s still under evaluation, we are still looking at all the available options. We also need to see a bit how the overtaking is here, how everything comes into play you know with the heat, the tyres and we will take a decision but obviously there is a chance it will happen.”
Meanwhile teammate Charles Leclerc loved that victory at the Red Bull Ring. It’s great for him to be back on course.
Charles shared, “I’ve got a much better feeling than the one I had coming into Austria. We’ve had a very positive weekend there and we just need to keep the focus, that level of performance. We’ve been very strong in Austria, we’ve been very strong for very long now but unfortunately we had quite a bit of problems. But looking ahead I’m confident we can be quick this weekend, it’s just about putting everything together with no mistakes.”
In the past Ferrari have struggled at Paul Ricard. This occurred with different cars, conditions and tyres. While the season is at the halfway point, there’s still a chance for car performance to improve for the Maranello-based team. Hopefully the free practice sessions will have better results to prepare for qualifying and the race in Le Castellet.
At present, Charles Leclerc is second with 170 points in the driver standings. Teammate Carlos Sainz is sitting in fourth with 133 points. Ferrari find themselves in second with 303 points, only 56 points behind in the constructor standings. This may be the weekend for them to take the lead. Let’s see how it unfolds in France.
Headline Image Credit: Ferrari.
