Mattia Binotto admitted that it is "very likely" that Carlos Sainz's engine problem in Austria was the same one that knocked Charles Leclerc out of the race in Baku, but said Ferrari is already preparing new elements for the power unit
Carlos Sainz's engine failure at the Austrian Grand Prix raised a big alarm at Ferrari, mainly because Mattia Binotto believes it is "very likely" that the problem was the same one Charles Leclerc faced in Baku, Azerbaijan. In the following race, in Canada, the team opted to change the entire engine of the #16 car, and the Monegasque started from the back of the grid.
On lap 56 of 71, Sainz was very close to Max Verstappen, indicating that the weekend at the Red Bull Ring would end with an Italian double. But the power unit of the #55 did not resist and burst, leading the Spaniard to retire.
The damage was so great that Sainz's car started to catch fire - the scene was quite tense, as the car was on a descent point and the driver could not get out of the flames quickly.
"We have only had two engine failures so far. The others were more related to the power unit than to the internal combustion engine," Binotto told the press still in Austria. "Obviously, we have to investigate what happened here. If it's the same problem we had in Baku with Charles? Very likely," he admitted.
As has already happened with Leclerc, Sainz is already at risk of punishment in the upcoming races. Binotto acknowledged that the problem in the power unit still persists, but believes that "very soon" Ferrari will find a solution.
"It's a concern, no doubt, but the people in Maranello are working hard to fix what hasn't been solved yet. If we look at what happened with Carlos, it is logical that the problem has not been solved yet. But we have new elements, and I know how strong they are working, how good they are, and this issue will be solved very soon, or as soon as possible.
If at the beginning of the season, Ferrari proved to have a much more reliable car than rival Red Bull, the team from Maranello now accounts for the points lost by the F1-75 breaks throughout the races played so far. Besides Leclerc's engine breakdowns in Spain and Azerbaijan, Sainz had hydraulic problems in Baku and also abandoned. In all, there have been four retirements due to car failure.
And even the World Championship vice-leader did not cross the finish line in Austria with a 100% car: Leclerc had a problem with the accelerator pedal that made him lose speed, especially on the straights. Luckily, it happened in the final laps. Reliability is, therefore, a point that Ferrari needs to address if it doesn't want to see the Taurinos pull away in the table.