In a last-minute setback, Carlos Sainz’s hopes of participating in the Qatar Grand Prix were dashed as Ferrari mechanics abandoned their efforts to repair an unforeseen issue with the fuel system on his SF-23 car. Sainz had finished sixth in the Saturday Sprint race and was slated to start 12th on the grid for Sunday’s main race. However, a confirmed fuel systems problem rendered him unable to compete.
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur explained the unexpected situation to Sky F1 before the race commenced. He stated, “Yeah, we had an issue when we fueled the car, we were unaware before. We had an issue on the fuel system, and it was too late to change something. It’s a shame, but it is like it is. It’s a shame because he was in good momentum, Monza, Singapore, and so on. It is like it is.”
With Sainz out of the race, Williams’ Alex Albon moved up to the 13th-place grid slot, effectively starting 12th. Additionally, other drivers benefited from this change in the starting lineup, including Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, Williams’ Logan Sargeant, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, AlphaTauri’s Liam Lawson, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu, who all advanced by one position.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was already slated to start from the pitlane due to a breach of parc ferme regulations.
