Carlos Sainz started the Turkish Grand Prix at the back of the grid after opting for the fourth power unit of the season. Racing his way from the back of the grid, the Spaniard displayed impressive performance to come home P8 in tricky conditions at Istanbul Park. As a result, the Ferrari driver also claimed his maiden ‘Driver of the Day’ award.
However, Carlos Sainz could have finished even higher if he hadn’t been involved in a botched pit stop. The Spaniard remained stationary in the pitlane for over eight seconds.
Meanwhile, after the race, Scuderia Ferrari team principal, Mattia Binotto, revealed the cause of Carlos Sainz’s late pit stop.
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What did Mattia Binotto say?
During an interview with Auto Motor Und Sport, as quoted by Formula Passion, Mattia Binotto revealed what happened during Carlos Sainz’s pit stop.
“The tires were changed in normal times,” said Mattia Binotto after the race.
“The manual release leading to the green light being switched on was not registered by the system. All this caused the delay,” added the Ferrari boss. (Translated via Google Translate)
Scuderia Ferrari sending a message with a new engine: Carlos Sainz
Just a race week after when Charles Leclerc opted for his fourth engine at Sochi, the Maranello-based team elected their upgraded power unit for Carlos Sainz at the Turkish GP.
During the Russian GP, Leclerc moved to P12 from P19 before the end of the first lap. In addition, he was poised to finish in the top 8. However, the late rain changed everything as the Monegasque driver stayed on slicks and eventually finished P15.
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz, who could have also finished in the top 5 at Istanbul Park after opting for a new engine, claims there is definitely “something” in Ferrari’s new power unit.
When asked about the new PU, Carlos Sainz replied: “There is something. We don’t want to talk about that, but there is something.”
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“It proves to you that we’re working. As Scuderia Ferrari we’re not stopping, we brought an upgrade seven races from the end when everyone is already thinking about next year.”
“We keep finding something in the engine, in the development. We’re pushing because we don’t want to finish P4, P8, we want to win,” concluded the Spaniard.
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Can Scuderia Ferrari and Carlos Sainz fight for the podium at the next race week in Austin? What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.