Hadjar confirms five-place grid penalty as Red Bull face Sepang challenge

The French driver will be demoted five positions from wherever he qualifies after his car exceeded its allocation of power-unit components for the season. Penalties incurred during Liam Lawson’s substitute appearances while Hadjar was injured count against the car’s component pool, rather than Lawson’s individual record.

Hadjar’s weekend will therefore begin with an added challenge at a circuit where Red Bull expects to gain a clearer indication of its competitive standing following recent developments.

After a strong showing in Baku, Hadjar said the Azerbaijan circuit had naturally suited the Red Bull package, although he also credited the team’s upgrade for its role in that performance. Sepang, with its more conventional Formula 1 layout, is expected to provide a more representative test.

The former Malaysian Grand Prix venue has not hosted Formula 1 since 2017, when Max Verstappen took victory for Red Bull. The track presents a different challenge to Baku’s street-circuit characteristics, with long, high-speed corners, heavy braking zones and high tyre demands expected to test the balance of every car.

Hadjar is realistic that the circuit may not suit Red Bull quite as well as the previous event. Yet he believes a podium fight would represent a major sign of progress for the team, even with a grid drop set to compromise his race before lights out.

Hadjar then confirmed the scale of the penalty he expects to receive. “It’s going to be difficult for me. I should be taking a five-place penalty,” he said.

However, the Red Bull driver is confident that strong race pace can still allow him to recover through the field. For Hadjar, the verdict on the weekend will be simple: if the car has the speed, he expects to make progress regardless of the penalty.

The five-place grid penalty will make qualifying especially important for Hadjar, who will need to place himself as high as possible before his demotion is applied.

But the race in Malaysia could still offer Red Bull a valuable opportunity to measure whether its upgraded package can compete for podiums across a more traditional circuit layout.