Sainz “lost for words” as engine failure robs Ferrari of “easy 1-2”

The British Grand Prix winner was sitting third while hunting down Red Bull’s Max Verstappen when his Ferrari engine let go in dramatic fashion on lap 58 of 71 at the Red Bull Ring.

Sainz coasted onto the run off at the exit of Turn 4 as his engine began to implode which ultimately caused a scary fire while the Spaniard attempted to clamber out of the car.

The failure came as a bitter blow as a charging Sainz was likely to pass Verstappen to complete a Ferrari 1-2 headed by team-mate Charles Leclerc, who went on to take the chequered flag from Verstappen.

Sainz admitted there was no warning signs that his engine was about to expire and was left to lament a missed opportunity for a “huge” result for the Maranello team.

“As soon as it happened really, there was nothing coming from the engine that this was about to happen,” Sainz told Sky Sports F1.

“It was very sudden and I’m bit a lost for words because it is a big loss on points and it would have been a huge result for the team. I think it would have been an easy 1-2.

“There is damage for sure which is not ideal. It is something that we need to look at. The pace was there, the degradation was very low on our car, we were fast so. I will take it and turn the page as soon as possible.”

This is the latest of a series of Ferrari engine failures this season which has resulted in the Scuderia throwing away valuable points in both the drivers’ and constructors’ title race.

It could also come back to haunt Sainz later in the season with the possibility of engine penalties on the horizon after most likely losing an engine from his pool.

Sainz also felt this engine failure was harder to accept given Ferrari had the pace edge over its rivals Red Bull at their home circuit.

“For sure it is more difficult to take because we were about to cut the points to the leaders of the championship, both Max and Red Bull,” he added.

“We were about to do a very big result for the team and one of the cars DNF’d, so it is heartbreaking, but we need to keep pushing. There is a long season ahead.”