Carlos Sainz’s car can change the engine

Mattia Binotto made it clear after the race at Zandvoort that Ferrari is considering a scenario in which Carlos Sainz’s engine would be replaced, but a decision has not yet been made. As the Spanish press writes, the Scuderia will analyze all arguments for and against and will be determined no earlier than Saturday.

The last time the powerplant replacement on the Spanish driver’s F1-75 took place in the days of the French championship stage, it was preceded by a fire that started on his car during the Austrian Grand Prix.

The chances of the engine having to be replaced are very high, and the point is not just that this engine’s resources simply won’t be enough for the remaining seven races. The power plant that Carlos received at Le Castellet was not designed to run the new, more efficient version of the ERS hybrid system that Charles Leclerc already tested at Zandvoort last week.

Of course, the Scuderia in Monza is the least likely to upset their fans, because if the power plant is replaced, Sainz will have to start from the last rows, but the Italian circuit is still not a narrow city ring in Singapore, where overtaking is very difficult.

Either way, the decision will depend on the judgment of the Ferrari mechanics, who will have to assess the condition of the engine of Carlos’s car, especially as he is unlikely to be the only racer at Spa to be replaced by a power plant. . It can be recalled that Max Verstappen also started from a distant 14th position at Spa, which didn’t stop him from winning the Belgian Grand Prix.

But we can already say with certainty that the Italian team’s cars will be equipped with new versions of the rear wings, designed for the lowest possible downforce – Ferrari hopes this will increase maximum speed on the straights, as they lag behind Red Bull Racing in this indicator. A lot depends on it on the long straights at Monza and the first tests of such a wing have already been carried out by the Scuderia during Friday practice in Spa.