Charles Leclerc may have lost a small opportunity to win the Turkish GP, but overall it was a great race for the scarlet cars with Leclerc finishing in P4, while Sainz managing P8 after an impressive drive from P19 thanks to the engine penalty accrued from the updated PU. And the team has indeed revealed that it is something that's boosted its performance on the track which was critical in Sainz charging up the field that earned him the driver of the day.
"I'm happy with Carlos' race and the comeback he made. He showed just like Charles that the pace was there. Too bad in his case for the pit stop. Without that delay, his final position could have been even better. The power unit is doing well. It is giving us a small advantage right now. It is not only proving useful in qualifying in getting a good lap time but also in the race. Carlos Sainz was able to make a lot of overtakes, and the upgraded power unit was certainly making its contribution to this. It is good for us to know that both drivers can count on the new power unit between now and the end of the season without having to serve further penalties," said Mattia Binotto, Ferrari F1 boss.
Sainz was voted the driver of the day because of his valiant driver from P19 to P8
Carlos Sainz added that there indeed was something new in the power unit and the team is sending a message to the entire grid that it is working continuously to regain lost ground.
"There is something. We don't want to talk about that, but there is something. It proves to you that we're working. As Scuderia Ferrari we're not stopping, we brought an upgrade seven races from the end when everyone is already thinking about next year. We keep finding something in the engine, in the development. We're pushing because we don't want to finish P4, P8, we want to win. Today has been a good race, a nice emotion as my first race at the attack with Ferrari, I enjoyed. I want more races like this," said the Spaniard.
The new Ferrari power unit features an upgraded hybrid element which includes a new battery store. It has reportedly added 15 bhp of extra power which has cut Ferrari's power deficit to Mercedes and Honda down to just 5 bhp. This upgrade is also a part of the development work Ferrari is doing for an all-new power unit for the 2022 season. One thing is clear, Ferrari will have a very competitive power unit for its works and customer teams in the next year. This is important as there is an engine development freeze which could be there for 5 years.
This upgrade will also help Ferrari better compete for P3 in the world championship as it cut its gap to McLaren under 10 points.
