Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Recommended for you

The best FIA relations in years: How F1 drivers won the penalty points fight

Formula 1
The best FIA relations in years: How F1 drivers won the penalty points fight

Who’s looking good in F2 and F3 ahead of their British Grand Prix support billing

Feature
FIA F2
Who’s looking good in F2 and F3 ahead of their British Grand Prix support billing

How worried should Ferrari’s F1 rivals be about its progress and engine upgrade?

Formula 1
Austrian GP
How worried should Ferrari’s F1 rivals be about its progress and engine upgrade?

Mercedes forced into diffuser tweaks after rival complaints and FIA intervention

Formula 1
Austrian GP
Mercedes forced into diffuser tweaks after rival complaints and FIA intervention

WRC Acropolis Rally Greece: Ogier sets early pace with super special stage win

WRC
Rally Greece
WRC Acropolis Rally Greece: Ogier sets early pace with super special stage win

“Maybe it is even worse”: MotoGP riders split over holeshot device ban

MotoGP
“Maybe it is even worse”: MotoGP riders split over holeshot device ban

How crucial is Red Bull's Austrian GP upgrade for Verstappen's F1 future?

Formula 1
Austrian GP
How crucial is Red Bull's Austrian GP upgrade for Verstappen's F1 future?

Hamilton details neck injury that affected start of 2025 F1 season

Formula 1
Austrian GP
Hamilton details neck injury that affected start of 2025 F1 season

Sainz's Spa F1 engine "alive", Norris set for Monza grid drop

Carlos Sainz Jr's Renault Formula 1 engine is "alive" after its failure last weekend but McLaren team-mate Lando Norris will take a grid penalty at the Italian Grand Prix

Sainz suffered a loss of power before the Belgian Grand Prix had even started and he managed just one lap before retiring.

Team-mate Norris ran fifth for almost the entire race only to retire just as he started the last lap, having also been hit with a loss of power.

Norris will switch to a new engine at the Italian GP, which will mean he takes a grid penalty, but that was the team's plan for him at Monza anyway.

Sainz has revealed that the engine that wrecked his Belgian GP is clear to be used in practice on Friday, even though he is set to ditch it for the race weekend itself.

"We know what the problem was now," said Sainz.

"The good news is the engine is alive and I will be able to re-use it tomorrow in practice and see how it goes."

Sainz is expected to switch to Renault's latest Spec C engine once Friday practice is over.

He used the latest-spec engine in Friday practice at Spa and took a grid penalty there for introducing it into the pool that weekend.

Norris's failed Spec B engine from Belgium is not useable at Monza, but he will use an old engine in Friday practice before switching to his penalty-inducing Spec C at the weekend.

Asked if he was confident of avoiding a repeat failure, Norris said: "I don't know if I can be confident. I'd like to say that but it's not my department.

"They found the problem, they've got a fix for this weekend, it's not something that has happened before.

"They're working on everything: the team, Renault.

"I want to say it won't happen again and we won't have any problems but I can't guarantee it."

Previous article Verstappen: F1 should resist hasty track changes after Hubert crash
Next article Mercedes: Reliability concerns over Phase 3 F1 engines remain

Top Comments

Latest news