Charles Leclerc to avoid F1 Spanish GP engine penalty despite Monza crash
Charles Leclerc managed to avoid engine damage in his high-speed crash at Monza so will not receive a grid penalty for this weekend’s Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver retired on lap two of the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday after losing control of his car through the Parabolic at more than 230km/h.
It came as the result of a bounce over a water drain causing Leclerc, who was defending from the McLaren of Oscar Pisatri, to run wide and into the tyre barrier.
But the SF-26 withstood the impact, with deceleration exceeding 50G, and will only have the transmission casing replaced and not an entirely new power unit for Madrid this weekend.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / LAT Images via Getty Images
The Spanish Grand Prix marks another chance for Ferrari to try its ADUO engine upgrade, which it debuted at Monza, though the team confirmed it isn’t a ‘game changer’.
Monza on the whole was disappointing for the Italian outfit which only scored eight points via Lewis Hamilton’s sixth-placed result while both drivers almost collided on the opening lap.
That leaves Ferrari 122 points behind championship leader Mercedes, who won again at Monza via Kimi Antonelli meaning he became the first Italian to win his home race since Ludovico Scarfiotti in 1966.
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