Another huge grid penalty has been confirmed just hours before the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. Several stars are serving grid drops for this race as teams take advantage of the overtaking opportunities afforded by the Spa-Francorchamps circuit to give their drivers extra engine parts beyond their annual allowance.
McLaren were the first to commit to the plan, confirming days ago that Lando Norris would be serving a 10-place grid drop because he had taken new control electronics on his car. He qualified an impressive third, meaning he is set to start Sunday’s race from 13th on the grid by the time his penalty is applied.
Those four drivers were all confirmed to be serving grid penalties ahead of qualifying on Saturday. But just hours before the start of Sunday’s race, another racer was given a 10-place grid drop after FIA scrutineers confirmed a change in engine components.
That star is Carlos Sainz, who had out-qualified his team-mate Alex Albon and reached Q2. But he will be starting below the Thai racer because a new energy store and control electronics have been fitted to his car. The extra energy store is within his annual allowance, but his new electronics are his fourth set of the season, beyond the three allowed per car.
As it is the first time he has exceeded his allowance of that particular component, adding it to the car triggers an automatic 10-place grid drop that Sainz will have to serve for the Spa-Francorchamps race. Williams said the changes were necessary after they discovered an issue in his battery pack on Sunday morning, prompting the team to introduce new parts as a precaution.
Sainz had been due to start the race 14th but will be further towards the back of the grid as a result of his penalty. He will not drop by the full 10 places, though, as penalties for others mean a few cars will still be starting behind him. Hadjar, Alonso and Stroll are all below him on the starting grid, meaning Sainz stops to 19th.
Kimi Antonelli will start on pole after producing a lap more than three tenths of a second quicker than anyone else. Is is the Mercedes teenager’s sixth pole of the season as he continued his strong qualifying form in 2026. Max Verstappen will line up alongside him on the front row, while George Russell inherits third place on the grid after Norris’ own grid drop is applied.