Hadjar reveals Belgian Grand Prix back-row start after Red Bull power unit change

Isack Hadjar has revealed that he will start the Belgian Grand Prix from the back of the grid, with Red Bull changing his power unit.

The news comes after McLaren confirmed Lando Norris would have a 10-place penalty as the team will fit a new power electronics unit in his MCL40.

Isack Hadjar to start Belgian Grand Prix from the back

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Red Bull’s first power unit delivered by the Red Bull Powertrains division has exceeded expectations, with the internal combustion engine topping the FIA’s first ADUO [Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities] assessment.

But, as has proven to be true for other power unit manufacturers in the new regulatory set, it’s not 100 per cent reliable.

Hadjar retired from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix due to a power unit failure, with further engine issues costing him a podium at the Monaco Grand Prix.

After nine races, Hadjar had burned through engine parts and was on the cusp of a penalty having moved onto his fourth Energy Store unit and his fourth Control Electronics.

It meant that coming into race 10 and set to take on new power unit components, the Red Bull driver told Canal+ that he expects to start the race at the very back of the grid.

“The goal will be to focus on race pace,” he said of his target for the weekend at Spa.

“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.”

Hadjar is the second driver who will take penalties at Spa after McLaren confirmed it had replaced Norris’ power electronics unit.

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Opting to swap to Mercedes’ upgraded power electronics unit, Norris has moved onto his fourth which means an automatic 10-place penalty.

“Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains has introduced a series of reliability fixes to their new power electronics systems,” announced McLaren

“However, in order to take advantage of these improvements, we must incur a 10-place grid penalty on Lando’s car in order to take a new unit.

“We have chosen to do this in Belgium, a circuit where overtaking is relatively more prevalent, as opposed to the following two events in Hungary and Zandvoort.

“We now plan to use this fourth power electronics unit for the remainder of the season, in order to maximise reliability while minimising sporting penalties on Lando.”

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