Carlos Sainz will receive a starting grid penalty of at least 10 places for Sunday’s French Grand Prix, Formula 1 stewards confirmed, bringing Ferrari’s fortunes to a new low.
A new Control Electronics has been added by Ferrari to Carlos Sainz’s collection of power unit components, according to the FIA, which results in a 10-place grid penalty for the Spaniard for Sunday’s French GP.
Sainz’s stunning engine failure in the Austrian Grand Prix, which occurred as the Scuderia driver was closing in on Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for third place in the dying laps of the race, is directly responsible for the component replacement.
The damage caused by the fire that started at the back of the Ferrari as Sainz tried to move his car out of harm’s way forced the Italian team to think about adding a new power unit to Sainz’s collection of equipment for this weekend’s race.
The addition of a third Control Electronics to Sainz pushes him over the limit and results in a 10-place grid drop; nonetheless, the addition of a second energy storage this season to the driver’s inventory does not make his demotion any worse.
However, if Ferrari decides to add a new ICE, turbocharger, MGU-K, or MGU-K to Sainz’s list later this weekend, the winner of this month’s British Grand Prix may still get to start his race from the back of the grid on Sunday.
Sainz’s penalty won’t improve the Spaniard’s prospects of winning the championship as he presently holds down P4 in the Drivers’ standings, 75 points behind Max Verstappen who tops the standings.
