Like his teammate Charles Leclerc at the Russian Grand Prix two weeks ago, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz will start the Turkish Grand Prix from behind after taking over a fresh unit with Ferrari’s new hybrid system – and Sainz says he’s actually looking forward to it to cut through the field in Istanbul Park on Sunday.
Ferrari presented its new hybrid system on Leclerc’s car in Sochi with the aim of supporting the development of their completely new powertrain for 2022. But the unit put in a strong performance in Leclerc’s car – although he ended up in 15th place in Russia afterwards. At the end of the race, Sainz lost the third podium of the season in the mixed conditions – Sainz was determined to try the engine himself.
READ MORE: Sainz starts the Turkish GP from the end of the grid after taking on a new Ferrari powerplant
“It doesn’t actually feel that bad,” said Sainz about the penalty. “When you go to the weekend with a new PU [power unit] Hopefully that will bring a bit of performance and a bit of development to the team, I can’t be disappointed.
“Of course you pay the price of being the last to start,” he continued, “but I’ve got a pretty good record of being the last to start and come through the field in the past few years, so I’m kind of excited [for] Because your focus is mainly on preparing for the race and making the car suitable for the different mixes and different conditions we have in the race, with high fuel consumption etc.
Leclerc tried the new hybrid system in Sochi
“So it’s actually okay to have a different weekend every now and then and have a different approach, and I actually find it exciting [to have] Nothing to lose. You are going to a weekend [and] you can risk it even more. “
Sainz was one of the stars of the Russian Grand Prix weekend after qualifying in 2nd place before moving to third place after leading the race early. And the Spaniard said he wanted to show that he had “taken a step” in the second half of his first season at Ferrari.
READ MORE: Hamilton Says Mercedes Is Better Prepared For The 2021 Turkish GP After 5 Seconds Of Pole Deficit In 2020
“In this second half of the season it was important to get a good result,” said Sainz. “The first three races [of the second half] were good but they weren’t anything special and I expected to take a small step in that second half. And that podium somehow confirms the move that has been made over the course of the season in terms of car understanding and performance as I get more used to this new environment.
“And it was a nice weekend [in Sochi]. The qualification, driving a lap when it comes down to it, mastering the start and leading the race and then nailing the strategy and tire management through the race to finish third – overall it was a successful weekend that definitely gave me good vibes gives into the last third of the season. “
Carlos Sainz ‘happy to be the last to start’ as he seeks to take advantage of new developments and upgrades from Ferrari
Sainz now has the prospect of a busy Sunday afternoon, cutting through the field from the end of the Istanbul Park starting field. But is the Spaniard confident that there will be more grip this year, as the track showed a very low level of grip in the last F1 race here in 2020 – where Sainz drove from 15th on the grid to P5 with McLaren?
GOOD LAP vs. GREAT LAP: Watch as you take a lap in Istanbul Park with Charles Leclerc
“I think we all expect the grip to get better,” said Sainz. “How much better, that’s another question. If it’s more like Portimao, where grip isn’t high but okay, then it should be fun.
“If there are really high levels of grip, like in Barcelona or Silverstone, then it should be pretty exciting because then tire wear could be a problem. So maybe for my personal interest I would like to [the conditions to be] extreme, and the more extreme, the more different things can happen – and maybe there are more possibilities for me. “
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