News Summary
- Charles Leclerc avoided major power-unit damage in his heavy Monza crash and will not need a new engine for the Spanish GP.
- Ferrari will replace the transmission casing on his SF-26 after the impact, which exceeded 230 km/h and produced more than 50G of deceleration.
- The preserved power unit carries Ferrari’s latest ADUO upgrade, giving the team another opportunity to evaluate the specification in Madrid.
Charles Leclerc escaped a potentially costly consequence of his heavy crash at the Italian Grand Prix and will not need to change Ferrari’s power unit for this weekend’s Spanish GP. Despite the impact at more than 230 km/h at Monza, the Monegasque avoided damage severe enough to require a new engine and therefore also avoided a possible grid penalty in Madrid.
According to Motorsport.com, the SF-26 will only require the transmission casing to be replaced following Leclerc’s accident at the Parabolica. The power unit survived the impact and will not need to be replaced for the next round of the championship.
The crash happened while Leclerc was fighting teammate Lewis Hamilton and defending from Oscar Piastri. The Ferrari bounced after running over a water drain at the Parabolica, sending Leclerc into the tyre barriers and ending his race on lap two. The impact produced more than 50G of deceleration.
The preservation of the power unit is particularly significant because the Ferrari carries the second ADUO development introduced at Monza. The upgrade was intended to improve the performance of the power unit, although Ferrari has already acknowledged that it is not a complete solution to the gap to Mercedes.
Leclerc keeps Ferrari’s updated power unit
The Spanish GP provides Ferrari with another opportunity to evaluate the latest engine specification under different circuit characteristics.
Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur recently admitted that the team is still lacking “pure power” compared with Mercedes and said the second ADUO development was never expected to completely close the gap during the 2026 season.
That makes keeping Leclerc’s upgraded power unit particularly useful. Instead of being forced into a replacement because of the Monza crash, Ferrari can continue collecting data from the same specification in Madrid.
The team had already confirmed before the Spanish GP that the ADUO upgrade was not expected to represent a “game changer”. Nevertheless, Ferrari needs to understand how the changes affect performance, energy deployment and reliability across different types of circuits.
Leclerc was also cleared after additional medical checks following the Monza crash and is expected to race in Madrid. Ferrari recovered the chassis and gearbox after the accident, while the power unit underwent further inspection.
Ferrari avoids another setback after Monza
Leclerc’s retirement compounded a difficult home weekend for Ferrari. The Monegasque crashed out early, while Hamilton finished sixth after recovering from his opening-lap clash with his teammate.
Ferrari scored only eight points at Monza and was unable to challenge Mercedes for victory. The team now heads to Madrid looking for a better result at a completely new circuit.
Avoiding an engine change means Leclerc can start the Spanish GP without an additional grid penalty caused by the Monza accident. It also allows Ferrari to continue using the latest power-unit specification without having to sacrifice one of its available units because of crash damage.
Formula 1 returns from September 11-13 for the Spanish GP at Madrid’s new MADRING street circuit. GRANDE PRÊMIO will follow all the action from the 14th round of the 2026 season.
FAQ
Will Charles Leclerc receive an engine penalty at the 2026 Spanish GP?
No. Leclerc’s power unit was not damaged badly enough to require replacement after his heavy Monza crash, so he will avoid an engine-related grid penalty in Madrid. Ferrari will replace the transmission casing instead.
What happened to Charles Leclerc at Monza?
Leclerc crashed at the Parabolica on lap two after his Ferrari bounced over a water drain and lost control at more than 230 km/h. The impact caused more than 50G of deceleration and ended his race.
What is Ferrari’s ADUO engine upgrade?
ADUO is Ferrari’s additional power-unit development framework for 2026. The latest specification was introduced at Monza and is being evaluated as Ferrari continues to work on reducing its performance deficit to Mercedes.
