Hadjar already knows he will lose five places on the Sepang grid

Isack Hadjar will start the Malaysian weekend with a known handicap before practice even begins. The Frenchman has confirmed he will take a five-place grid penalty at Sepang because of a power-unit component change. Red Bull has not yet specified which element will be replaced.

Hadjar has already exceeded his allocation on all major engine components. Because this is no longer his first excess usage, any additional change now brings five places rather than the ten applied for the first breach.

Hadjar still believes Sepang offers enough overtaking opportunities to recover if the RB22 has the necessary pace. He should also be able to attack more aggressively than in Baku: his wrist no longer requires the cautious, progressive approach he used on his comeback.