Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad are set to face grid penalties at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia after power unit component changes, leaving both Red Bull and Racing Bulls with an uphill task at Sepang. Hadjar expects to lose five positions on the starting grid, while Lindblad faces a more substantial penalty after reaching the permitted limit of power unit components.
Two of the four drivers representing the Red Bull teams will therefore head into Sunday’s race already knowing they will lose positions from wherever they qualify.
Isack Hadjar expects five-place Sepang grid penalty
Isack Hadjar admitted that Red Bull may already be less competitive in Malaysia because of the characteristics of the Sepang circuit, while his own weekend will be made more difficult by the expected penalty.
“I would expect us to be less competitive because of the layout of the track. But if we could still fight for the podium this weekend, that would be a good result. For me, though, it will be difficult because I should have to serve a five-place penalty,” Isack Hadjar said when answering a question from Motorsport.com.
The first replacement of a power unit component beyond the permitted allocation results in a 10-place grid penalty, while a subsequent infringement carries a five-place penalty.
Hadjar has already exceeded the permitted limit for every power unit component during the 2026 season. As a result, any further replacement will carry a five-place penalty rather than the full 10-position sanction.
Hadjar believes Sepang still offers recovery opportunities
Despite the penalty, Isack Hadjar is not particularly disappointed to be serving it in Malaysia. The French driver believes Sepang offers enough opportunities to recover positions if Red Bull has competitive race pace.
“Even with the penalty, I think this is a circuit where, if you have the race pace, you can recover positions. And if we can’t, it will mean that we’re not fast enough. That’s all.”
The nature of Sepang therefore gives Hadjar some reason for optimism despite the positions he expects to lose after qualifying.
Arvid Lindblad faces heavier power unit penalty
Arvid Lindblad’s situation is different. The Racing Bulls rookie reached the permitted component limit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last week.
Racing Bulls announced the young Red Bull talent’s penalty on Thursday morning, suggesting that Lindblad has exhausted the available components in his power unit allocation.
At Baku, Arvid Lindblad also used a new set of power unit “auxiliary components”, including parts of the fuel system, the wastegate, oil tank and cooling system.
That change, however, did not take him beyond the permitted limit of six sets of auxiliary components.
Lindblad could play strategic role in Sepang qualifying
Considering Arvid Lindblad’s component situation, he is expected to receive a 10-place grid penalty at Sepang.
That could potentially influence Racing Bulls’ approach to qualifying. If the team identifies a meaningful advantage from using a tow, Lindblad could potentially provide one for Liam Lawson during Saturday’s session.
Both Red Bull teams therefore begin the Malaysian weekend with an additional strategic complication. Isack Hadjar will attempt to limit the damage from his expected five-place drop, while Arvid Lindblad faces the more difficult task of recovering from a larger penalty after qualifying.
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