Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz is reportedly set to start towards the back of the grid at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix due to an engine change.
The Spaniard has suffered two reliability failures this season. A hydraulic failure put him out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix earlier in the year, before his engine blew up in Austria as he was trying to take second from Max Verstappen.
Team-mate Charles Leclerc, who is second in the championship, also experienced a blowout in Baku, after his engine had previously failed in Spain.
The Monegasque was forced to star the Canadian Grand Prix from the back, denying him a chance at victory, while Sainz stared 19th in France following his spectacular Austria retirement.
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Leclerc then began the Belgian Grand Prix from 15th having a joined a host of drivers, including Verstappen, in taking penalties after adding too many parts to his pool.
The Dutchman went on to win the race, but a rogue visor tear-off in his brake duct, followed by a pit lane speeding penalty, saw the Ferrari driver finish sixth.
Sainz comes into the Italian Grand Prix this weekend off the back of an eighth-placed finish in Zandvoort last weekend after he had initially finished the race fifth.
A dreadfully slow pit stop from the Scuderia left him battling Sergio Perez, and the Italian side were later found guilty of an unsafe release, demoting Sainz to P8.
The 27-year-old recently confirmed that an engine penalty for excessive parts will be on the way “soon,” and Giuliano Duchessa, a journalist for Formu1a.uno, has revealed that it will take place this weekend.
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“Carlos Sainz confirmed two important things. That it will mount a new PU soon, we confirm that it will do so in Monza,” he tweeted.
“The new hybrid, in addition to being more efficient, weighs 2 kg less, bringing the car in line with the minimum weight.”
Ferrari are running special liveries this weekend to celebrate 75 years of grand prix racing, while Leclerc and Sainz will be kitted out in yellow – the colour representative of Enzo Ferrari’s hometown, Modena.