It was supposed to be t♌he big break into the upper echelons of the sport but even Ross Brawn has weighed in to cast doom on Carlos Sainz’s impending move to Ferrari as it’s results go from bad to worse ahead of its home race.

T♊he Spaniard landed a dream drive with the Scuderia during the long lockdown hiatus as the 2021 F1 replacement for Sebastian Vettel, a move that should see him in the running for regular podiums and wins for the first𒐪 time. 

However, on the back off Ferrari’s ‘worst result in 10 years’ at Spa-Francorchamps - the dismal continuation of broadly poor form in 2020 - Sainz faces seeing his dream become a 🅷nightmare, not least b💙ecause the largely frozen regulations for 2021 gives the team little leeway in overhauling the flawed package.

Though Sainz himself is keeping his talk ‘present tense’ with McLaren for now, the forthcoming concern hasn’t escaped ex-Ferrari technical ch💎ief Brawn’s attention, admitting he must be ﷽privately ‘nervous’

“This has been a tough year for him, but he’s a pretty positive guy. He’s a very strong character, his career has been no easy ride after all. I’ve always rat🍌ed him, I think he’s a great driver and he’ll manage this situation.

“But w🌌hat looked like a dream move to Ferrari next year isn’t looking too good right now and inevitably, he must be nervous about his prospects next season.”

Reflecting on Ferrari’s ‘horrific’ 1ಞ3th and 14th in Belgium - ahead of only three cars - Brawn raises the oft-mentioned engine changes the team were forced to make towards the end of 2019, a moment many have𝄹 credited for the ensuing slump.

However, he says there is no doubt that 🔜change accounts for this level of performance, saying it is fundamental across all areas of the car.

“Regardless of what people say about the deficit they may have with th⭕e engine following the technical clarifications, you don’t lose 1.3s per lap from one year to next in that metric alone.

“They just could▨n🍸’t get the tyres in the zone. The fact it was colder at Spa would not have helped either.

“When that hap𓆉pens, the performance drops off and looks horrific. If they can make thaꦬt step and get the tyres working properly again, I think the performance will snap back in. They still won’t look race-winning, but it will become more respectable.”