Ferrari carries out pre-race gearbox check on Leclerc's car

Leclerc qualified second for the Mexican race but was promoted to pole following a three-place penalty for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Ferrari discovered a potential issue after qualifying and this morning Leclerc’s car was on the stands in the garage while checks were carried out on “some hydraulic parts of the gearbox” under supervision from the FIA.

No penalty-inducing changes were required but Ferrari replaced the hydraulic actuator as well as the “MOOG block”, which is related to hydraulic pressure, and “TAG320B”, which is the control ECU.

Leclerc should thus be clear to start the race from pole position alongside teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Meanwhile, Mercedes expects Valtteri Bottas to start the race from sixth on the grid following his qualifying crash.

Mercedes had a significant repair job after Bottas’s heavy shunt at the final corner but has been able to undertake that without replacing any penalty-inducing components.

The team said he should be able to take the start without penalty “barring any unforeseen surprises between now and then”.

It has now been revealed by the FIA that Mercedes replaced an enormous list of components on Bottas’s car, ranging from the front suspension to both wings, the floor and gearbox and ERS elements.