August 30th proved unfavourable for Carlos Sainz, the McLaren-Renault Racing driver. Before starting the Belgian Grand Prix & heading for the formation lap, Carlos would be forced into retirement following engine problems. It marked the 2nd year back-to-back that Sainz couldn’t compete at Spa, one of the preferred tracks by F1 drivers. The evident frustration with Sainz was during the Post-Race Interviews.
Spa-Francorchamps wasn’t the first instance of Carlos Sainz facing Power Engine Unit concerns for 2020. It’s starting to garner minor disappointment for the Spanish driver, believing his MCL35 isn’t good enough to garner championship points. It’s shocking when considering his teammate (Lando Norris) is performing admirably in the “2020 Formula One Driver’s Championship”, maintaining the placement of P6. Carlos is considerably lower at P11. It marks a notable shift at McLaren-Renault Racing, with Lando Norris becoming their primary driver after Sainz signed with Scuderia Ferrari for 2021.
When questioned by F1 Reporters at the Post-Race Interviews, Carlos Sainz mentioned his disappointment for missing one of his most desired GPs in the season. The Spaniard emphasized disappointment towards the engineers, noting that it’s the 2nd year he’s experienced technical issues at Spa-Francorchamps & that Power Engine Unit failure in Belgium was a known issue from earlier in this season. Carlos emphasized that all McLaren-Renault Racing can accomplish looking towards the point & preventing it from happening a 2nd time.
Leclerc Loses It on Radio Transmission
Carlos Sainz wasn’t the exclusive driver to showcase his anger at the Belgium Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc from Scuderia Ferrari, the Spaniard’s partner for 2021, used an onslaught of curse words in various languages when experiencing a low pit stop. Engineers were forced to provide Leclerc’s SF1000 with a “Pneumatic Pressure Top-Up” & this forced a delayed time for his pit stop. Before learning of the reasoning for his delay, Leclerc would rant in a harsh tone.
The response of Scuderi Ferrari was to inform Charles that his radio must be turned off. Charles Leclerc was notably upset at the Belgium Grand Prix, with last year this circuit bringing the Monaco-native his first GP victory. Scuderi Ferrari has become one of the worst teams in 2020 & the chances in their pace have forced Leclerc back to a bottom grid driver.