Lance Stroll to take FIA penalty at Belgian Grand Prix

Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll will serve a 10-place grid penalty at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, the FIA has announced.

Stroll has taken a fourth MGU-K of the F1 2026 season at Spa, triggering an automatic grid drop for exceeding his pool of engine components.

Lance Stroll to serve 10-place grid penalty at Belgian Grand Prix

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A note written by Jo Bauer, the FIA’s Formula 1 Technical Delegate, on Friday confirmed that Stroll will move on to a fourth MGU-K of the season, one more than the permitted maximum of three.

Bauer wrote: “The motor generator unit-kinetic used by Lance Stroll is the fourth (4th) of the three (3) new motor generator units-kinetic allowed for the 2026 Championship season and this is not in conformity with B8.2.2 f) of the 2026 Formula One Sporting Regulations.”

Drivers trigger an automatic 10-place grid penalty when they exceed the limit of MGU-Ks in a given season, with a five-place grid drop for every additional MGU-K used beyond that.

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Stroll, who received three five-second penalties in the space of nine laps for repeated track limits offences at the last race in Britain, is not the only driver taking a grid penalty at Spa this weekend.

As reported by PlanetF1.com, McLaren driver and reigning F1 world champion Lando Norris will serve a 10-place grid penalty for taking a fourth power electronics unit of the season.

McLaren is running the latest version of the Mercedes power unit for the first time this weekend, two races after the Mercedes works team introduced an upgraded engine in Austria.

Two of Norris’s power electronics units suffered terminal issues earlier this season, forcing the British driver to take a fourth at Spa.

Meanwhile, Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar is set to start from the back of the grid in Belgium.

The French-Algerian has taken a fifth internal combustion engine, turbocharger and exhaust, one more than the permitted maximum of four for each component.

Hadjar confirmed Red Bull’s intentions on Thursday at Spa, telling French television station Canal+: “The goal will be to focus on race pace.

“We know that it will be less focused on performance in qualifying. We will probably start in 22nd [position].

“But this is a circuit where it is possible to overtake. Many things can happen.

“We have a good pace, so I hope to have a lot of fun on Sunday.”

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