Red Bull Racing secured its strongest qualifying result of the 2026 season in Malaysia for the Bahrain Grand Prix, but only one of its drivers will start from the position in which they qualified.
Isack Hadjar drops to eighth after taking a grid penalty following an engine change.
Hadjar drops five places
Hadjar, who qualified an impressive third behind pole-sitter and Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen, will start Sunday’s race from eighth after receiving a five-place grid penalty.
The penalty follows an engine change that had already been announced ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. As a result, Hadjar loses his place on the second row despite Red Bull securing a strong qualifying performance.
Verstappen, meanwhile, retains pole position and will lead the field away in Sunday’s race.
Colapinto handed 15-place penalty
Hadjar is not the only driver affected by grid penalties.
Franco Colapinto has received a total penalty of 15 grid places. Five of those places stem from his penalty following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where the Alpine driver was penalised by the stewards after an incident involving his team-mate Pierre Gasly and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Colapinto has also taken a new Mercedes power unit for the Bahrain Grand Prix. That change results in a further 10-place grid penalty.
The combined penalties mean Colapinto will start from 21st rather than the position in which he qualified.
Lindblad moves to the back
Colapinto will not start from the back of the grid, however.
That position goes to Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad after the British driver also took a new engine for Sunday’s race.
The changes mean several drivers move up the order despite not qualifying in those positions.
Lewis Hamilton therefore starts second for Ferrari, with Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli third and Charles Leclerc fourth. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri occupy fifth and sixth for McLaren, while George Russell moves up to seventh.
Provisional Bahrain GP starting grid
Position| Driver| Team
1| Max Verstappen| Red Bull Racing
2| Lewis Hamilton| Ferrari
3| Andrea Kimi Antonelli| Mercedes
4| Charles Leclerc| Ferrari
5| Lando Norris| McLaren
6| Oscar Piastri| McLaren
7| George Russell| Mercedes
8| Isack Hadjar| Red Bull Racing
9| Pierre Gasly| Alpine
10| Gabriel Bortoleto| Audi
11| Liam Lawson| Racing Bulls
12| Fernando Alonso| Aston Martin
13| Carlos Sainz| Williams
14| Lance Stroll| Aston Martin
15| Nico Hülkenberg| Audi
16| Oliver Bearman| Haas
17| Esteban Ocon| Haas
18| Alexander Albon| Williams
19| Valtteri Bottas| Cadillac
20| Sergio Pérez| Cadillac
21| Franco Colapinto| Alpine
22| Arvid Lindblad| Racing Bulls
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