Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar is set to take a 5-place grid drop for the 2026 Bahrain GP at the Sepang International Circuit. The penalty comes as a result of the Milton Keynes-based outfit taking an additional powertrain component, exceeding the permitted allocation.
As per the FIA rules, the first time a driver exceeds the permitted allocation for any component, i.e., the first violation, a ten-place grid drop penalty is applied. For the subsequent violations of that component, a five-place grid drop is applied.
While Isack Hadjar didn’t receive any grid position drops this season, Liam Lawson, who replaced the 22-year-old for a handful of races due to the injury, took a 35-place-grid drop for the Italian GP in the second Red Bull for exceeding the permitted allocation.
Hadjar, during the media day at the Bahrain GP in Malaysia, revealed that he will be taking a five-place grid drop for the race. It is only a five-place grid drop as it’s not the first violation but instead the second.
Isack Hadjar didn’t reveal exactly which power unit component has led to the five-place grid drop. Speaking with the media on Thursday, Hadjar said,
“It is a bit difficult for me as I should be taking a five-place penalty, but even like that, I believe it is true that if you have the race pace, you will go up. If we don’t, then that means we’re not fast enough; that’s it.”
The Red Bull driver will not be the only one taking a grid drop at the Sepang International Circuit, with sister team Racing Bull’s Arvid Lindblad starting at the back for taking multiple new powertrain components. Franco Colapinto will also serve a five-place drop for causing a collision at the Azerbaijan GP.
Isack Hadjar doesn’t expect the same competitiveness as the Azerbaijan GP at the Bahrain GP
Isack Hadjar finished on the podium at last weekend’s Azerbaijan GP, being on pace with Max Verstappen during the first stint of the race, albeit on the preferred soft compound tyres. Nonetheless, it was an impressive result, given that he was returning after the wrist injury.
However, speaking with the media at the Bahrain GP in Malaysia, Hadjar didn’t expect to be as competitive as the last race, as he said,
“I think Baku is definitely a track that would have suited our car anyway; the upgrade played its part, but I think doing it on a track which has a more traditional layout in Sepang is going to give us a better idea of where we stand. Really, I would expect us to be less competitive on this layout, but if we still manage to fight for a podium this weekend, that would be really good.
“The track layout means you have to attack flat out right away. It’s an open circuit, there aren’t really any walls. So you can push to the limit much earlier. In Baku, if you go over the limit, you end up in the wall, and I risked injuring myself again. I wasn’t really keen on that, so I took it step by step. This weekend, for me, it’s completely normal, and I have to take risks right away,” he added
Unlike the more experienced drivers on the grid, Isack Hadjar hasn’t raced at the Sepang International Circuit and only has simulator experience. With a mixed weather forecast for the weekend, it’ll be interesting to see how Hadjar’s weekend pans out.
