Charles Leclerc engine penalty decision made as Ferrari keep rivals guessing

Leclerc suffered a heavy crash on lap two of the Italian Grand Prix, but kept running the same unit last time out in Madrid.

However, after the event, team principal Fred Vasseur identified Baku as ‘quite suitable’ for the change and the resulting penalty drop to the back of the grid.

GPblog reported at the time that Ferrari would further evaluate the unit before making a decision, and Vasseur confirmed as much while speaking to this outlet and others after a disappointing Thursday practice from the team.

However, he refused to announce any final decision, saying with a laugh: “I have clarity, but I will keep it from you, good try!”

Leclerc and Hamilton were 3rd and 4th and then 4th and 5th in Thursday’s practice sessions, but the gap to Mercedes and George Russell in particular was vast.

On race runs Ferrari were a second slower than Russell, and on softer tyres.

Yet Vasseur tried to play down concerns of an uncompetitive weekend.

He added: “We try to not pay too much attention to Friday. Friday is useless, so imagine the Thursday!

He added on the practice sessions: “It was a strange session that we are very up and down.

Ferrari did have so much work to do that they broke curfew; however, the FIA confirmed it fell into one of their four permitted breaches for the season.