Carlos Sainz will not start the Qatar Grand Prix after suffering engine issues before the race.
The Spaniard suffered a poor qualifying session on Friday which condemned him to a 12th-placed start on the grid. But in the end it did not matter as Ferrari have now confirmed that he will not start the race.
It became clear in the pit lane that there were issues on his car. Ferrari mechanics took it to pieces and were scrambling around in the hope that they could fix the problem.
It was identified as a leak on the fuel tank. And there was plenty of concern that they would not be able to find a solution in time to get the car out for the start of the race.
And those fears were soon realised. Ferrari mechanics rebuilt the car fully but, soon after, the team confirmed that they had not managed to find a solution to the problem and that Sainz's participation in the weekend was over.
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"Due to a fuel system issue on his car, Carlos will not take part in the Qatar GP," a spokesperson confirmed. That leaves Charles Leclerc as the team's sole hope for points, the Monegasque starting fifth on the grid.
It is a huge boost for Mercedes in their hopes for the constructors' championship this season. Red Bull have already secured the title, but the battle for second place behind them is extremely tight, the gap reduced to just 20 points thanks to Ferrari's improvements since the summer break.
George Russell starts second on the grid with Lewis Hamilton third. With both of them well-placed to score big points in Qatar, Mercedes could land a critical blow at the Losail International Circuit with Sainz out of the running.
Ferrari were not the only team to have their ambitions hampered before the start of the race. Sergio Perez is forced to start from the pit lane after adding several new components to his engine during parc ferme conditions.
Red Bull were also investigated after FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer discovered they had a 'third car' available after building up Perez's spare chassis to more than just the survival cell, which is against the rules. However, the stewards decided there was no overlap between the first chassis being available and the second being built up, so he avoided an extra time penalty on top.
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