Leclerc set for grid penalty at Baku, Vasseur confirms

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is set to receive a grid penalty at the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix, according to team principal Fred Vasseur. The French driver is expected to start from the back of the grid, with the team anticipating a penalty following his high-profile crash during the Italian Grand Prix on September 6. Leclerc had just participated in Ferrari's introduction of the second power unit upgrade under the FIA's ADUO scheme.

The decision to penalize Leclerc comes in light of the wreck he sustained during the Italian Grand Prix at Parabolica, which forced the team to revert to the previous power unit in Madrid. Vasseur admitted that the ADUO2 unit would need replacement despite an earlier belief that it could be recovered from the crash.

Commenting on Canal+, Vasseur stated, "We'll see when we have to take an engine penalty with Charles, but I think Baku should be quite suitable." Leclerc himself also acknowledged the situation, saying, "If not, I'll probably get a penalty at some point."

The choice of Baku for Leclerc's penalty is seen as advantageous for Ferrari, as the street circuit is one of the season's best for overtaking. The team hopes to replicate Mercedes' success in Monza, where Leclerc crashed but managed to win the race due to numerous overtaking opportunities. Racing at Baku could yield a two-tenths of a second per lap advantage over the older ADUO-1 specification, which Ferrari is currently using.