Unapproved power unit changes to Isack Hadjar, Lando Norris, and Lance Stroll will result in the lineup for Sunday’s 2026 F1 Belgian GP being shuffled by grid penalties. These drivers had changes made on their cars before Friday’s first practice session.
Isack Hadjar starting at the back
The biggest penalty is going to Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who had to replace an ICE unit, turbocharger, and exhaust set. That marks the fifth of each of those units used this season. With three concurrent penalties, he will start from the back of the grid. This equals his worst career starting position with the 2026 F1 Miami GP. That last-place start was also from a penalty, as he started from the pit lane due to a qualifying infringement.
More struggles for Lance Stroll and Aston Martin
As a team, Aston Martin have yet to qualify a car out of Q1, and will have one less car to try and make that push. The team installed their fourth MGU-K hybrid unit on Lance Stroll’s car before FP1. Given that he hasn’t qualified higher than 18th this season–and hasn’t advanced into Q3 since Hungary last season–he will likely start alongside Hadjar on the back row on Sunday. This will also be the second straight race that Stroll has had a grid penalty. He was assessed another ten-place grid penalty at Silverstone for unapproved changes to the control electronics unit and energy store.
Another setback for defending champion Lando Norris
McLaren’s Lando Norris will also serve a ten-place penalty for their changes. For Norris, McLaren had to change out the control electronics unit, his fourth on the season. This means that he will start no higher than 11th for the race, his worst starting position since Azerbaijan in 2024. It’s another hurdle in the 2025 world champion’s efforts to defend his title. He sits fifth in points, 82 points out of the lead and behind both Mercedes’ and Ferrari’s drivers.
