Carlos Sainz will take a grid penalty at Paul Ricard after another Ferrari engine failure at the Austrian Grand Prix, Marca claims.
The Scuderia suffered their third and most spectacular power unit-related retirement of the season as the Spaniard’s car caught fire as he came to a stop during the race.
Perhaps the only good news for Ferrari is the cause of the failure appears to be one they have already seen previously with Charles Leclerc.
“It seems something very similar to what happened in Azerbaijan, in Maranello we are working hard to find a fix,” team boss Mattia Binotto told Corriere dello Sport.
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“We have a powerful engine and this gives me hope for the future. We are working hard to solve the problems.”
Ferrari’s issues are not just limited to their works team either as Valtteri Bottas took a penalty after Alfa Romeo installed a fresh unit in Spielberg, while Kevin Magnussen managed a problem all race in his Haas.
And Binotto admits a fix is still some way off.
“These are problems that are worrying for the next races,” he acknowledged, “not in the medium-term because I am convinced that as a team we will be able to solve them.
“We have a very [high] performing engine and this gives me hope for the future when we have found a way to make it [reliably] solid as well.
“Resolutions of this type need time, it is necessary to design new components, produce them, and homologate them for reliability. A few weeks are not enough.
“In the short-term, we will try to manage it in terms of mileage.”
Spa or Monza after the summer break are highlighted as the likely races where reliability upgrades will be introduced.
And though the issues have blighted Ferrari’s hopes of a first championship since 2008, Binotto remains confident in their chances.
“It is obvious that we still believe in both World Championships, drivers and manufacturers,” the Swiss chief stated.
“This car has shown in all the races that it is competitive and looking at all the stages that remain to be raced, we have to believe it. We are a fierce team from every point of view: technicians, drivers and mechanics.”
