Charles Leclerc is set to take a grid penalty at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, even though Ferrari has received positive news regarding the engine that was feared damaged in his Monza crash. The Monegasque driver suffered a heavy accident on the second lap of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, spinning off at the Parabolica, which led to his ADUO2 power unit being withdrawn from his allocation for last week's Spanish Grand Prix.
The decision to sideline the engine left Leclerc down on power compared to teammate Lewis Hamilton, and he was outqualified by the Briton. However, Leclerc led much of the race before finishing fourth. According to Motorsport's Italian edition, further evaluation of the Monza engine has revealed no terminal damage to the unit.
As a result, Leclerc will be able to feed the engine back into his allocation for the rest of the season, though it is likely he will only use it for practice sessions at the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Consequently, he is set to take a fresh engine for the Baku race, which will see him drop to the back of the grid.
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur told Canal+ during the Madrid weekend: "We'll see when we have to take an engine penalty with Charles, but I think Baku should go quite well." Though a street circuit, the massive pit straight at Baku presents a good opportunity to overtake, making it an ideal place in the coming schedule for Leclerc to serve his penalty.
Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli took an engine penalty at the Italian Grand Prix, but the Mercedes driver was able to come from 19th on the grid to win his home race. His Mercedes teammate George Russell is expected to take a fresh engine and incur a penalty at some point in the coming races, though it's not clear when.
Ferrari's ADUO2 upgrade failed to provide a significant boost when it was introduced at Monza. Leclerc qualified fourth, while teammate Lewis Hamilton was fifth as Mercedes-powered cars locked out the top three. At Madrid, Leclerc's deficit to Hamilton in Q3 was just 0.006s and just under a tenth from third-placed Max Verstappen in the Red Bull.
Ferrari hasn't been on the front row for a race since Hungary, when Hamilton was second behind McLaren's Lando Norris. Leclerc was third. With Leclerc's impending grid penalty in Baku, the team must maximise strategy and car performance to remain competitive in the championship standings.
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