Leclerc is currently 80 points clear of Red Bull rival Max Verstappen at the top of the drivers’ championship, but will have to fight his way back into order following Ferrari’s decision to fit a new power unit.
Ferrari opted for Spa because of the overtaking opportunities offered by the high-speed circuit in Belgium, giving Leclerc a better chance of battling through the field compared to a more technical track like Zandvoort.
The move will also allow Leclerc to drive the upgraded hybrid system on his Ferrari power unit, which will debut this weekend. It will also use a new gearbox at Spa.
The FIA will confirm the changes to the power unit during the race weekend, and they will mark Leclerc’s second start of the season from the back of the grid after he also took a number of new elements from the power unit. power for the Canadian Grand Prix. in June
Leclerc’s Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz will not take a new power unit at Spa thanks to his fresher engine, leaving the team’s hopes of success in Belgium to rest heavily on the Spaniard .
Leclerc has already suffered engine reliability problems this season which forced him to retire while leading in both Spain and Azerbaijan, causing him to lose ground to Verstappen in the title race.
But Leclerc may not be the only one to be penalized on the grid at Spa, with Verstappen saying at Spa on Thursday that “everyone still has to take penalties as well”, which would make it difficult to relax on his title chances.
Leclerc admitted on Thursday that fighting to beat Verstappen in the championship would be a “very difficult challenge” given the points gap, but that he still believed he was in contention for the championship.
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