Ferrari changes Sainz’s gearbox after Monaco F1 qualifying crash

Sainz collided with Sergio Perez’s Crimson Bull automobile at Portier within the closing phases of Q3 in Monaco after the Mexican had hit the wall on the skin of the nook.

Sainz got here across the nook unsighted of Perez, inflicting him to crash into the stricken Crimson Bull and maintain harm to his Ferrari F1-75.

Forward of Sunday’s race in Monaco, Ferrari confirmed that it has opted to alter the gearbox on Sainz’s automobile as a precaution after assessing the harm sustained within the crash.

“After inspecting Carlos’ automobile after yesterday’s crash and given the power of the influence, we now have determined to alter the gearbox as a precaution,” the crew mentioned.

“Naturally, the elements of the rear finish that have been broken have additionally been modified. These modifications are penalty-free.”

The transfer by Ferrari comes after the crew noticed Charles Leclerc fail to begin final 12 months’s Monaco Grand Prix from pole place as a result of harm sustained in a crash in qualifying.

Ferrari solely found a left-rear driveshaft failure on Leclerc’s automobile when the crew fired the automobile as much as go to the grid, stopping the Monegasque from taking the beginning for his residence race.

Not like earlier years the place groups have been required to make a gearbox final a set quantity of races, in 2022, there’s a pool of 4 gearbox cassettes and elements that can be utilized by way of the season.

It means Sainz will nonetheless line up second on the grid for Sunday’s race behind Leclerc, who headed up a front-row lockout for Ferrari on Saturday.

“I simply hit the brakes, I attempted to do the nook radius as tight as doable, and simply as I used to be going to handle to keep away from him, I hit the brake a bit tougher and managed to clip his again with the again of the automobile,” Sainz defined after the crash with Perez.

“It will have been a reasonably good save if I might have saved it, however as a result of there was mainly no time to put it aside, nevertheless it’s what occurs in Monaco.”