Charles Leclerc to take grid penalty in Brazil
F1 News
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
Although not officially confirmed yet, Ferrari have said Charles Leclerc will take a grid penalty for the Brazilian Grand Prix as the Italian team are opting to install a fourth power unit in Leclerc's SF90, exceeding the limit of three.
The Monegasque suffered a hydraulic leak during Free Practice ahead of the United States Grand Prix, forcing Ferrari to fit Leclerc's car with the older, spec-2 power unit.
While reports came out Ferrari were able to fix the broken power unit, they have now come out saying they'll fit a fourth engine in the 22-year-old's car, meaning he'll take a grid penalty as he exceeds the three-engine limit for a season.
Update - Ferrari say a 10-place penalty for Leclerc. No confirmation as yet of the part(s) of the engine that needed to be changed
— Andrew Benson (@andrewbensonf1) 12 November 2019
While confirmation still hasn't come, it looks quite certain Leclerc will start 10 places below where he qualifies. With the battle for third place in the championship still very much on, this could have big implications.