Isack Hadjar already knows he will have an extra challenge at the Belgian Grand Prix in Formula 1. The Red Bull driver confirmed that he will use a new power unit at Spa-Francorchamps and, therefore, will start from the back of the grid regardless of the qualifying result.
Read more Belgian GP 2026: live coverage of F1 Free Practice 1 at Spa-Francorchamps
The decision was revealed by the Frenchman himself in an interview with the Canal+ broadcaster. Despite the penalty, Hadjar showed optimism for Sunday’s race and said he expects to have fun with the mission of climbing through the field during the race.
Another driver who will also suffer a penalty is Lando Norris. McLaren confirmed that the Briton will lose ten positions on the grid after exceeding the allowed quota of electronic components of the power unit. According to the team, Belgium was chosen to serve the penalty because it is a circuit that offers more overtaking opportunities than the next rounds, in Hungary and the Netherlands. The intention is to use this fourth component until the end of the season to increase reliability and avoid new penalties.
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Hadjar also commented on Red Bull’s decision to abandon the rear wing known as the “Macarena” for the weekend at Spa. According to him, although the visual difference is large, the impact on performance is less than it seems. “We still believe we will have competitiveness similar to the last race, even if this is a less impressive rear wing. We are working to bring the other one back as soon as possible, but in a safer way,” he said.
The Frenchman also acknowledged that he narrowly escaped the problems faced by Max Verstappen in recent rounds. “I was quite lucky for two races in a row. It could have happened to me too. His problem is my problem, and we need to solve it,” he concluded.
Read more F1 today? Find out how to watch the free practice sessions of the 2026 Belgian GP
