Carlos Sainz will start Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix from the back row of the grid, but the Ferrari driver admits to being "excited" by the prospect of potentially storming through the field with little to lose.
Ferrari introduced in Russia its long-awaited new-spec engine that features hybrid system elements that will be used in 2022.
Charles Leclerc was the first recipient of the upgraded unit, and the Scuderia has now moved Sainz on to the new engine, the fourth in the Spaniard's pool of hardware which equates to a grid penalty.
"It actually doesn't feel that bad," said Sainz. "If you're going into the weekend with a new PU that is hopefully bringing a bit of performance and a bit of development to the team, I cannot be disappointed with that.
"Obviously you pay the price of having to start last, but I have a pretty good record of starting last and coming through the field in these last few years.
"So I'm kind of excited, because your focus is mainly on preparing the race, making sure that the car is well set up for the different compounds and the different conditions that we have in the race, with high fuel, etcetera…
"So it's actually okay also to have a different weekend now and then, and a different approach, and I find it actually exciting [to have] nothing to lose. You go into a weekend [and] you can risk it even more."
Looking back on his productive outing in Russia that he concluded on the third step of the podium, Sainz says the result was an important one to achieve and a confirmation of a step forward for the Scuderia charger.
©Ferrari
"This second half of the season, it was important to get a good result," explained Sainz.
"The first three races [of the second half] were good, but they were nothing special, and I was expecting to do a bit of a step this second half.
"And this podium kind of confirms that step that has been done on car understanding and performance throughout the season as I get more used to this new environment.
"It was a good weekend: the quali, nailing a lap when it counted, nailing the start and leading the race and then nailing the strategy and the tyre management through the race to come home third.
"It was overall a well-executed weekend that for sure gives me good vibes going into the last third of the season."
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