Carlos Sainz leaves doubts over his engine change

Sorrowful soul on the side of the Spielberg circuit (Austria) after having escaped from his Ferrari to the engine consumed by flames during the Austrian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz could pay his first penalty this season during the French Grand Prix this Sunday.

The Scuderia will therefore have to make a choice for the French round of the 2022 world championship. Formula 1 : leave with an engine already used in the car from the Spaniard or use a brand new power unit on Sunday. A difficult choice since if Maranello opts for the second solution, a penalty will await the Madrilenian on the starting grid.

“It's still being evaluated, we're still looking at all available options, said Sainz when asked about an imminent engine change. We also need to see a little bit how the overtaking goes here, how everything comes into play, you know, with the heat, the tires and we'll make a decision, but obviously there's a chance of that happening. »

Words that echo those of his teammate Charles Leclerc, who was in the same situation in Canada. After hiding his game at the start, the Monegasque finally left with a new engine during this Grand Prix. From a strategic point of view, Ferrari has every interest in installing a fourth engine at the French Grand Prix if it plans to do so before the summer break. Le Castellet indeed offers a better configuration for getting back up in the event of starting from the back of the grid. With the long straight of the Mistral and the Signes bend at the end, the overtaking opportunities on the Paul-Ricard are real. Unlike the next meeting of the season, at the Hungaroring…

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