Carlos Sainz has dropped a heavy hint that his power unit-related penalty will be added to as the French Grand Prix weekend develops. Ahead of Friday practice, Sainz took on his third control electronics element of the season, one more than permitted and, as such, triggering a 10-place grid drop. Sainz retired from the Austrian Grand Prix two weeks ago with fire billowing from the rear of his Ferrari, prompting speculation that this will be the first of several changes.
Sainz: You can expect what's coming next
After topping Friday's second practice session at the Circuit Paul Ricard, Sainz all but confirmed further penalties. "We will see," Sainz said with a smile, when asked if he is likely to take on further fresh power unit components. "I mean, I took 10 [places already], no? So you can expect what's coming next..."
Sainz pleased with his Friday practice efforts
Sainz added that, throughout Friday's running, his focus was very much on longer run pace. "It was definitely a positive Friday," said the Spaniard, who led teammate Charles Leclerc by a tenth in FP2. "I didn't do many laps on the short run, on the low fuel, but every lap that I did was super competitive. It shows that [with] steps we're taking, it's going in the right direction. "[I was] focusing more on the long runs, because I'm not going to be in that fight for pole position, given the amount of penalties."
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