Ferrari has received encouraging news over the power unit involved in Charles Leclerc’s heavy crash at the Parabolica during the Italian Grand Prix. X-ray examinations have confirmed that the engine can be recovered, although the Scuderia is still expected to introduce a fresh ADUO2-specification six-cylinder unit for Charles Leclerc at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, triggering an engine-related grid penalty.
The Monza engine is therefore unlikely to be discarded. Instead, Ferrari plans to use it cautiously as part of Charles Leclerc’s rotation of internal-combustion engines during free practice, while a new ADUO2 unit should become his primary engine for the remainder of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Ferrari’s Monza ADUO2 engine passes X-ray checks
The X-ray inspections carried out on Charles Leclerc’s power unit following the Parabolica accident have shown that the engine can be salvaged. Formula 1 regulations prevent Ferrari’s technicians from simply running the used unit between Grands Prix to establish whether everything is functioning correctly, meaning the team must rely on the available inspections and data before returning it to the car.
The sensors associated with Ferrari’s 067/6 have not detected any particular anomalies. As a result, it is highly likely that Ferrari will install the ADUO2-equipped unit for the opening free practice session of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
If no problems emerge — with Ferrari unable to replace all the components covered by the FIA engine homologation and sealing rules — Charles Leclerc is expected to continue using the same six-cylinder unit throughout the remaining two practice sessions. The Monza engine would then effectively become a rotation unit reserved primarily for Friday running.
Charles Leclerc set for fresh ADUO2 engine before Baku qualifying
Before qualifying, however, Ferrari is almost certain to introduce a new ADUO2-specification engine for Charles Leclerc. The fresh unit should then be used through the rest of the championship, while the engine involved in the Monza accident would be preserved for free practice sessions.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had already suggested after the Spanish Grand Prix that Charles Leclerc would eventually need to take a fifth engine. Speaking to French broadcaster Canal+, Fred Vasseur said: “We’ll see when we have to take an engine penalty with Charles, but I think Baku should be quite good.”
The reasoning is closely linked to the characteristics of the Azerbaijan street circuit. Ferrari is already facing a potentially demanding weekend because of the SF-26’s energy-management characteristics, an issue examined in our Ferrari Baku outlook. At the same time, the circuit offers considerably more overtaking opportunities than Madring, making it a more favourable venue at which to absorb a grid penalty.
Charles Leclerc would therefore have to take a penalty and start from the back of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix grid. Baku’s extremely long final straight, followed by the heavy braking zone into Turn 1, provides one of the clearest overtaking opportunities on the calendar. Fans following the weekend can find the full session timings in the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix schedule, while recorded straight-line performance can be explored through the F1 Top Speed Comparison.
ADUO2 gain underlines what Ferrari missed in Madrid
The newer ADUO2 specification showed its performance more clearly at Madring, where the engine appeared to be worth around two tenths of a second per lap compared with the ADUO1 specification Charles Leclerc was able to use in Spain. Ferrari’s direct comparison between the two specifications was particularly revealing because Lewis Hamilton raced with the newer version while Charles Leclerc had the older engine, as shown in the detailed ADUO2 versus ADUO1 Madrid qualifying analysis.
Despite that disadvantage, Charles Leclerc finished Q3 only 0.006 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, who qualified fourth. The Monegasque was also just 0.189 seconds away from McLaren driver Lando Norris, who took pole position. Given the estimated performance difference between the two Ferrari engine specifications, it is reasonable to consider that the SF-26 could at least have challenged for a place on the front row with ADUO2, if not pole position itself.
Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix could consequently have unfolded very differently for Ferrari. Instead, the Scuderia again finished outside the podium positions, extending its run without a top-three result to four consecutive races.
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