Isack Hadjar’s perfectly executed tow helped Max Verstappen gain more than three tenths of a second during Belgian Grand Prix qualifying, allowing the Red Bull driver to secure a crucial front-row start at Spa-Francorchamps. However, the manoeuvre was far more difficult to organise than the television pictures suggested because the behaviour of the 2026 power units made it difficult to predict exactly how much energy and acceleration Hadjar’s car would deliver.
The slipstream was essential not only in placing Max Verstappen on the front row, which could completely change the shape of his race, but also in keeping him ahead of several closely matched rivals. Red Bull orchestrated the plan almost perfectly, yet the team had to manage the complicated relationship between battery charge, electrical deployment, software behaviour and power-unit derating before Hadjar could provide the desired assistance.
Max Verstappen’s Spa qualifying tow gains more than three tenths
During the final moments of Q3, the international television feed focused on Red Bull’s clever strategy as Isack Hadjar provided Max Verstappen with a tow. Those watching probably shared the reaction expressed live by Pierre Gasly, who was following the end of qualifying from the interview area.
“Is this the best tow ever or…” Pierre Gasly said as the Red Bull drivers completed the manoeuvre.
In practice, it was close to being exactly that. The television images initially compressed the perspective and made it appear that Max Verstappen might have been forced to lift off the throttle to avoid hitting his teammate. In reality, the Dutch driver never had to back out of the lap.
The tow was executed so effectively that it allowed Max Verstappen to gain well over three tenths of a second. That contribution proved decisive in a tightly packed qualifying order where only small margins separated the drivers behind the pole position time.
Isack Hadjar was already due to start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid after fitting a series of new power-unit components. Despite that penalty, Red Bull still wanted him to reach Q3 so that he could assist Max Verstappen during the decisive qualifying runs.
The choice was logical because Red Bull had already appeared to lose some straight-line speed to Mercedes over the rest of the weekend. The team’s Spa package also came under close scrutiny after questions emerged over whether Red Bull might move away from its so-called Macarena rear-wing concept following recent problems.
Red Bull targets the front row rather than pole position
Red Bull’s objective was not necessarily to challenge for pole position. Instead, the priority was to secure at least a place on the front row, particularly because Lando Norris was due to serve a grid penalty following the replacement of his car’s control electronics.
Norris’s sanction had already created a significant opportunity for the drivers immediately behind him, with the McLaren competitor facing a major Belgian Grand Prix grid setback. Red Bull therefore knew that putting Max Verstappen among the leading qualifiers could deliver an even more valuable starting position once the penalty was applied.
The team implemented its slipstream plan during both Q3 attempts, although the two runs were organised differently. The first was a more conservative version, while the final attempt placed the two Red Bull cars much closer together.
On the opening Q3 run, Isack Hadjar remained further ahead. Because the French driver had left the garage later and had more battery energy available, he eventually had to manage the throttle and lift slightly. Paradoxically, Hadjar temporarily had more power available than Max Verstappen and was beginning to pull away, reducing the effectiveness of the intended tow.
For the second and final run, Red Bull altered the plan. Hadjar positioned himself much closer to his teammate, allowing Max Verstappen to gain another tenth and a half through that section alone compared with his opening Q3 attempt.
Verstappen feared Hadjar was too close
Like many viewers watching the manoeuvre, Max Verstappen initially believed he was so close to Isack Hadjar that there was a genuine risk of contact. Nevertheless, he remained fully committed and never lifted the throttle.
“I was completely flat, so I would simply have pushed him,” Max Verstappen said. “But he was incredible. Initially, I thought, ‘Oh my God, he is too close,’ but then it actually worked well all the way to the final corner. It was on the limit, but I trusted him.”
Compared with Q2, when Max Verstappen had not benefited from any slipstream, the perfectly executed manoeuvre was worth well over three tenths and almost four tenths of a second. The size of the improvement confirmed how powerful the tow was through this part of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
It also explained why Charles Leclerc had hoped to receive a slipstream during qualifying. With the cars travelling at high speed for an extended period, reducing aerodynamic resistance by following another car can produce a substantial lap-time gain.
The tow ultimately allowed Max Verstappen to secure a front-row position capable of changing the course of his weekend. Through that section, the Dutch driver travelled at speeds of up to approximately 15 km/h faster than he had managed without a tow in Q2.
Red Bull reaches the limit of its cornering performance
Max Verstappen explained that Red Bull appeared slightly slow on the straights, although the car itself remained within an effective operating window. The team focused on refining smaller details because Verstappen felt there was increasingly little time available to gain through the corners.
“I think we are a little slow on the straights, but the car was in the right window and we just tried to fine-tune a few details, including in qualifying,” Max Verstappen explained.
“At one point, we were a little stuck in terms of how much more lap time could actually be extracted because every lap I completed was slightly faster. But at a certain point, when you are already flat out, there is no more time to gain through the corners.”
Depending on how electrical energy is managed, some corners at Spa have become relatively straightforward to take at full throttle. This is not necessarily because of increased aerodynamic downforce, as would traditionally have been the case. Instead, the cars may arrive at certain corners at lower speeds because of the way the power unit deploys its available electrical energy.
Even with the performance of the current cars, taking those sections with the throttle fully open can therefore become the natural approach
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