Ferrari will wait until after Thursday practice at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix before deciding whether Charles Leclerc will take a new power unit and the resulting engine penalty. The Monegasque will begin the Baku weekend with Ferrari’s more advanced ADUO2 specification, but the team has yet to determine which unit will ultimately be used for the rest of the event.
In recent days, Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur had already made it clear that Charles Leclerc was expected to incur an engine penalty. Baku had emerged as a possible venue for introducing the new power unit, although the Frenchman stopped short of confirming that the change would definitely take place in Azerbaijan.
Charles Leclerc arrives in Baku with Ferrari’s ADUO2 engine
What is certain is that Charles Leclerc will run Ferrari’s most developed engine specification in Azerbaijan, incorporating the upgrades permitted under the second ADUO allocation of the season. The remaining question is whether the Scuderia will continue with the power unit involved in the Monza accident or introduce a completely new unit, which would send Leclerc into a grid penalty.
The choice carries particular significance at the Baku City Circuit, where the power unit faces an unusual combination of demands. Ferrari is already preparing for a major energy-management test on Baku’s long full-throttle sections, making the Azerbaijan weekend an important examination of the SF-26 package.
The circuit’s long straights also make power unit performance especially relevant. Readers can compare recorded straight-line performance across the field using the ScuderiaFans F1 Top Speed Comparison.
Ferrari saved Charles Leclerc’s Monza power unit
According to reports from Motorsport and The Race, the ADUO2-specification power unit used by Charles Leclerc at Monza was successfully recovered following his accident. Ferrari is therefore expected to put that engine back into the SF-26 when running begins in Baku.
That gives the Maranello team the opportunity to assess the unit on track before committing to a change. The decision over whether to keep using the recovered engine or install a new one will only be made after Thursday’s free practice sessions.
For Ferrari, this means the opening phase of the Azerbaijan weekend will serve not only to prepare the SF-26 for the circuit but also to provide the information needed for a potentially important power unit decision. The team already faces questions over how competitive its car will be at this venue, with the SF-26 facing a difficult Baku outlook after recent races.
Engine penalties expected for both Ferrari drivers before season ends
If Ferrari ultimately decides against introducing a new engine for Charles Leclerc in Baku, the penalty would only be postponed. The team expects both Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to exceed their permitted power unit allocations and incur penalties at some stage between the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the end of the championship.
For Leclerc, the immediate priority is therefore to determine whether the recovered Monza ADUO2 unit can remain part of his Baku programme or whether Azerbaijan is the right moment to introduce another engine and accept the sporting consequences.
The final call will come only after Ferrari has completed Thursday practice and assessed the condition and performance of the existing unit. Until then, Leclerc enters the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend with Ferrari’s latest ADUO2 specification but without a definitive plan over when his anticipated engine penalty will be taken.
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