Ferrari faces a potentially significant concern following Charles Leclerc’s heavy crash at Monza, with telemetry from the SF-26 indicating that the engine continued running at high revs after the impact. The incident has placed fresh attention on Ferrari’s new ADUO 2 power unit, which will now need to be inspected for possible damage.
It was a painful conclusion to Ferrari’s home Italian Grand Prix, staged in front of almost half a million fans at the Temple of Speed. The weekend also carried special significance because the Scuderia honoured Michael Schumacher with a livery inspired by the Ferrari he raced in 1996. On track, however, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were unable to deliver the result the home crowd had hoped for, with mistakes and a lack of performance leaving Ferrari chasing its rivals.
Charles Leclerc’s Monza crash compounds Ferrari’s difficult weekend
Leclerc’s race came to a violent end on the second lap. While defending from Oscar Piastri at the exit of the Parabolica, now known as Alboreto, the Monegasque lost control of the SF-26 and hit the barriers heavily, leaving the Ferrari badly damaged.
The problems had already begun earlier in the lap. Before track action started at Monza, the Ferrari drivers had indicated that the circuit characteristics were poorly suited to the strengths and weaknesses of the 2026 car. The Scuderia’s power unit was struggling relative to its competitors, with Mercedes described as having the best-managed unit and Red Bull Powertrains as possessing the most powerful package.
That deficit became particularly visible on lap two. Leclerc passed Pierre Gasly along the pit straight, apparently using all the available energy in the process. The Ferrari then struggled around the remainder of the lap, allowing Gasly and Max Verstappen back through while Oscar Piastri also applied increasing pressure.
The drivers themselves also played a part in Ferrari’s difficult opening phase. An avoidable Turn 1 collision complicated matters, with Lewis Hamilton aggressively trying to remain in pursuit of the leaders while Leclerc was equally unwilling to surrender position as he continued to target victory.
The decisive mistake followed at Alboreto. Leclerc placed a small section of the tyre onto the dirty part of the track and across the water drainage grates before accelerating sharply. The Ferrari then lost control and crashed into the barriers, bringing his race to an abrupt end. The impact left Leclerc out of the Grand Prix, with a trackside marshal subsequently seen consoling him.
Leclerc crash telemetry raises concern over Ferrari ADUO 2 engine
The accident itself was damaging enough, but what happened immediately afterwards may have created an additional headache for Ferrari. Video recorded by spectators in the grandstands, together with the available telemetry, indicates that Leclerc’s engine remained switched on and continued revving after the SF-26 had come to grief.
The telemetry shows the expected sharp fall in speed at the moment of impact. What makes the sequence unusual is what follows: the trace rises again and reaches approximately 171 km/h, a behaviour described as being consistent with the throttle remaining open after the collision.
Engine speed is also understood to have climbed beyond 8,000 rpm. With the ADUO 2 specification featuring Ferrari’s latest power-unit development, the episode gives the Maranello mechanics another important issue to investigate after an already disastrous Italian Grand Prix.
Ferrari mechanics must establish whether the power unit was damaged
Exactly why the engine remained running is not clear. One possibility is that, amid the confusion and frustration immediately after the crash, Leclerc did not switch off the Ferrari power unit. The original sequence describes shutting the unit down after an accident as mandatory.
Regardless of the explanation, Ferrari will now need to examine the engine carefully to determine whether remaining at high revs after such a violent impact caused any damage. That question is particularly important because the ADUO 2 is a brand-new specification introduced as part of the Scuderia’s latest development programme.
For Charles Leclerc, the crash had already turned Ferrari’s home Grand Prix into a major disappointment. The post-impact telemetry now means the consequences of his Monza accident may extend beyond the destroyed SF-26 itself, depending on what Ferrari discovers when the power unit is inspected.
Leave a Reply