The challenges of Carlos Sainz and Ferrari for the second half of the World Cup

• Chronicle Sainz's engine, engulfed in flames, breaks Ferrari's happy ending

• Verstappen's 'ultras', under the microscope They denounce "unacceptable" comments and Hamilton speaks of "racism and homophobia"

• Quick lap It's funny that they are already missing Masi

Ferrari went to great lengths this weekend to present an image of normality at the Red Bull Ring, where

and

maintained their usual cordiality in front of the cameras, while on the track they seemed combative, but never reckless.

Under these premises, the team closed its Sunday with the traditional family photo in front of the

door .

Sainz courteously approached there, appealing to a commendable fortitude.

Leclerc celebrated with engineers and mechanics his fifth victory in red - with which he equals the records of

,

and

- while Carlos digested the disgust.

ride

that brought him back to the

.

Beneath his gesture throbbed a deep disappointment.

"It's the story of my season: as soon as we gain momentum, something goes wrong," settled the Madrid native.

There was no desire to offer too many explanations, but rather to receive the warmth of old friends.

For example,

, the hero of the day in F2, where he secured a fabulous podium finish after starting penultimate.

More than an hour after the checkered flag, Sainz shared jokes and confidences with the Campos Racing driver, back in the category after a four-year absence.

"The Same Baku Breakdown"

At exactly the same time, Leclerc was returning from the official FIA press conference.

Wrapped in a cloud of flashes, the Monegasque sported that special aura that his agent,

, speaks of so often .

And he seemed fully recovered from the terrible throttle scare that reduced his car's performance "by 20 to 30 percent in the slow corners."

Nothing compared to the misfortune of Sainz, whose fourth zero of the course was the result of another crack -the third- in the engine.

The one that will force, according to the calculations of

, starting from the bottom of the grid in two weeks.

"It is very possible that the breakdown is the same as Charles's in Baku. Of course we are concerned about him," admitted the

boss .

This first diagnosis will be confirmed throughout this week, when the engineers examine each piece in detail at the Maranello factory.

It will be another reality check for Sainz, who had the pace to have passed

, although not the necessary share of fortune.

"I'm sure we will solve the reliability issue," Binotto predicted.

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Alonso, behind the poorly tightened wheel.

"There are many things difficult to understand"

• Writing: MIGUEL A. HERGUEDAS (Special envoy) Spielberg

"There are many things difficult to understand"

After two consecutive victories, just when the halfway point of the World Cup has just passed, on the way to Paul Ricard, the

will want to maintain this ambitious message.

Waiting for that moment, you will have already underlined a couple of very positive notes: 1) In Spielberg they managed tire degradation much better than Red Bull.

2) Any type of title option will go through the definitive suppression of

, which had been harming its passage through the long straights of Baku or Canada.

From now on, the goal should be to fully capitalize on the performance of the SF-75.

Because despite having led for more laps (259-253), Leclerc is still 38 points behind Verstappen.

A more than appreciable difference, like the 56 points in the Constructors' World Cup.

What in Spielberg should have been a double ended up vanishing in the smoke and flames.

The Ferrari family photo in the paddock of the Red Bull Ring.SCUDERIA FERRARI

Neither Sainz nor Ferrari must lose sight of Mercedes, which added its sixth podium of 2022, thanks this time to

.

But nothing is left behind the Silver Arrows, because Alpine, McLaren or Alfa Romeo are still stagnant.

Until now, the only podium place that escaped Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes was signed by

in Imola.

Evidence that the new technical regulations have not matched the fight from above.

Because in 2020 and 2021, the modest ones had already added 10 podiums and two wins in the first half of each championship.

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• Carlos Sainz Jr.