Carlos Sainz starting at the back of the grid in Turkey, what about Lewis Hamilton?
After his teammate, Charles Leclerc, in Russia, it is Carlos Sainz who will receive an engine penalty in Turkey. He might be joined at the back of the grid by Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).
Carlos Sainz will receive the brand new hybrid system on the engine of his Ferrari SF21 this weekend, just like Charles Leclerc did two weeks ago. The same upgrade will come with the same penalty, as like his Monegasque teammate before him, Sainz Jr will start from the back of the grid on Sunday afternoon, with this new engine fitted to his car being the fourth entirely new power unit (the regulations only allow for three).
These engine changes on the Ferraris are the result of a new hybrid version from the Italian brand. However, Mattia Binotto, the head of the Scuderia, refused to discuss the gain brought by the new horsepower, preferring to talk about groundwork for the next season. “I believe it is something that must remain confidential,” he said about this famous gain to Motorsport.com. “It is a step forward in terms of performance, but as Charles and Laurent Mekies (in charge of all track activities at Ferrari) have already mentioned, the most important thing is that we push forward with this new technology as much as possible. This will undoubtedly help us for 2022.”
Will Carlos Sainz be joined by a seven-time world champion at the back of the grid on Sunday? Indeed, it is now certain that Lewis Hamilton will receive a grid penalty, like his rival Max Verstappen in Russia, due to once again causing a engine change. Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, stated that it is possible this sanction will occur in Turkey although nothing has been decided yet.
