Ferrari expects Charles Leclerc is likely to face a grid penalty later in the season due to power unit damage suffered during the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Leclerc was on the inside of Turn 1 and had avoided the initial chaos caused by Valtteri Bottas’ collision with Lando Norris, but the Ferrari driver was then clattered by Lance Stroll, who had also outbraked himself in wet conditions. The damage forced Leclerc to stop at Turn 2 with the whole right-hand side of the car exposed, and he retired from the race.
Ferrari has since analyzed the car and power unit, and issued a statement on Tuesday that says he won’t be able to use the engine again, which likely means a penalty for exceeding power unit components later in the season.
“The accident in which Charles Leclerc was an innocent victim shortly after the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix came at the cost of robbing him of the chance of a great result at the Hungaroring,” Ferrari wrote. “However, examination of the number 16 SF21 carried out yesterday in Maranello, revealed that on top of this, the engine was irreparably damaged and cannot be used again, following the impact from Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin.
“This is a further blow for Scuderia Ferrari and the Monegasque driver. This damage has a financial impact and also racing ramifications, given that over the remaining 12 race weekends this season, it is highly likely the team could be obliged to fit a fourth ICE to Charles’ SF21, thus incurring grid penalties.”
Red Bull similarly indicated that it could face penalties for both of its drivers after Max Verstappen’s power unit from Silverstone showed anomalies on Saturday night, and Sergio Perez’s was damaged in the first lap crash in Budapest.
