Leclerc to use older Ferrari engine in Madrid
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 11, 2026
Leclerc engine choice
Charles Leclerc will race with an older ADUO1 engine in Madrid, and Ferrari is keeping the latest ADUO2 spec off his car for now. The team said the move is designed to avoid any risk at the new Madring circuit and it will leave Leclerc without a grid penalty for the Spanish Grand Prix. Ferrari can still revisit the plan later in the season and could fit Leclerc with the ADUO2 then, even if that forces him to take a penalty for a fifth power unit.
The change gives Leclerc a clear setback in the power unit battle. Ferrari has also confirmed that Lewis Hamilton can use the ADUO2 spec normally, which leaves Leclerc on older equipment for the race in Madrid. That difference matters for Ferrari as it weighs reliability against performance. For now, the team has chosen caution with Leclerc’s car and flexibility with Hamilton’s.
Ferrari power unit checks
Ferrari is still examining the power unit from Leclerc’s Monza crash after worrying the upgraded engine may have been damaged. The team said the 067/6 unit passed external checks and will now go through more detailed X-ray inspections before Ferrari uses it again. That process keeps the engine under review even as the team moves ahead with Leclerc’s older unit for Madrid.
Ferrari has not taken any chance with the unit after the impact at Monza, and it has built its next step around deeper inspection rather than a quick return to service. That approach keeps the engine under review while the season moves forward and Ferrari considers its later engine choices.
Leclerc Monza crash
Leclerc’s engine situation traces back to a violent end to his Italian Grand Prix. His race ended on lap two after he lost control at more than 230 km/h entering Parabolica while battling McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. The impact topped 50G, a heavy hit that underlined the severity of the crash even before Ferrari began its latest engine checks.
FIA medical officials cleared Leclerc after precautionary checks, and the driver moved on without a penalty for Madrid. The crash still shaped Ferrari’s thinking, though, because it left the team balancing engine risk, performance and the need to keep Leclerc running without another setback. That is why the older ADUO1 engine now takes priority for Madrid, while the damaged power unit from Monza stays under inspection. Ferrari has tied the two issues together, using the crash as the reference point for its caution and its plan for the rest of the season.
