Ferrari is to gamble on the Turkish GP for their much-hyped engine update, and they are prepared to take a penalty for it.
The Prancing Horse put on a show for their home fans at the Italian GP held at Monza. They managed to secure a P4 and a P6 finish when many had written them off.
However, the sad thing for the Italian team was that their rival McLaren did better and put the pressure on them. In fact, they did considerably better, securing a stunning 1-2 finish for the first time in many years.
Ferrari couldn’t compete with McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull that weekend because of their engine’s power deficit. They want to address it as soon as possible, and their solution is an engine update, according to Auto, Motor und Sport.
The update will provide a bump in power, up to 10-15 bhp. However, taking one would mean taking a grid penalty, and that would mean Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc would have to start at the back of the grid during the Turkish GP. Ferrari want to take it at the Turkish GP because overtaking is relatively easier at the track.
Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto hailed his team and his drivers’ performance at the Italian GP. He said it showed resilience and character.
“It shows that we can respond well to difficult conditions,” Binotto said.
“The performance was positive, the result not because McLaren won too many points compared to us.”
Old connections
Ferrari driver Sainz, who is a former McLaren driver, admitted that he was happy to see his old team pick up a win. However, he said that he was focused on beating them and helping Ferrari pip them to P3 in the Constructors’ Championship.
“It was nice to see my old team win, but at the same time they are our opponents in the championship and they have lost a lot. But they are not miles away, we can still overtake them,” Sainz said.
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