Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Leclerc pays penalty
SPORTS Fresh power unit means a drop of five places on grid
CH A R L ES Leclerc w i l l sta rt t h i s we e ke n d’s Brazilian Grand Prix with a grid penalty after Ferrari confirmed he would take a fresh power unit.
The 22-year-old will drop at least five grid places for the penultimate race of this year’s calendar after suffering problems in the last race, the US Grand Prix in Austin, in which he finished fourth.
The news comes as a blow to Leclerc, who currently sits third in the drivers’ standings, 14 points ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and a further five in front of Scuderia team-mate Sebastian Vettel with two rounds to go.
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said: “On Sunday, Charles’ pace in the first stint was poor, although his car performance level was back to normal after the first pit stop.
“So we will put all this behind us now and look ahead to Brazil and a fresh start.
“Charles will get a new power unit ( PU) there, as his was damaged in Austin, which meant he had to use a previously used and less powerful version for the rest of the weekend.
“Fitting a new PU means taking a grid penalty in Sao Paulo but we should be back to our normal performance level and show some fighting spirit to finish the season on a high note.”
Meanwhile, Alex Albon has described as “a big deal” confirmation he will drive for Red Bull in the 2020 season.
The Thai-British driver has been a revelation since being promoted from ‘sister’ team Toro Rosso over the summer break as team-mate to Max Verstappen, earning rich praise from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Albon has scored 68 points for Red Bull over his seven races.