Leclerc likely to take an engine-related grid penalty; Ferrari to decide imminently

Ferrari continues checks on Leclerc’s Monza power unit; if unusable, a fresh engine will incur a grid penalty likely to be taken at Baku.

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- Ferrari withdrew the Monza engine from Leclerc’s allocation and are inspecting it for damage.
- Italian Motorsport.com reported the unit may not be terminally damaged but could be limited to practice use only.
- If the unit cannot be put back into full rotation, Ferrari will fit a fresh power unit that will breach allocation rules and trigger a grid drop.
- Vasseur told French TV Canal+ that Baku could be a practical race to take the engine penalty.
- Leclerc himself said teams are still checking the engine and that a penalty is possible: "If not, then probably a penalty at some point."
- Leclerc sits sixth in the drivers’ standings with nine races left and faces the decision of when to take a penalty.
- Teams can delay penalties to align with upgrades (ADUO) to minimize additional hits; Mercedes has used similar timing tactics for George Russell.

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