How did the 2026 power units make it difficult for Hadjar to provide an effective tow?

Isack Hadjar said Red Bull executed its qualifying strategy perfectly after sacrificing his own result to provide Max Verstappen with a crucial slipstream on the way to a front-row start for the Belgian Grand Prix.

With the Frenchman already committed to starting from the back of the grid because of power unit penalties, Red Bull's priority was to get Hadjar into Q3 before using him to tow Verstappen during the decisive final runs.

The plan worked exactly as intended, with Verstappen qualifying second behind Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Hadjar completed the task twice during Q3 before peeling into the pits without setting a lap time of his own.

"Our mission was clear today, and we executed it, so we can be happy with the day's work," Hadjar said. "I knew I had to get into Q3, and we managed that quite comfortably despite having limited one-lap pace as the car was set up for the race."

The Red Bull driver admitted providing an effective tow under Formula 1's 2026 power unit regulations was not straightforward because of the complexities of hybrid energy deployment.

"Max might have been up there, but I was happy to do the job for him and the team. It's a little difficult to give a tow with these regulations, not knowing how the engine would behave as you have to manage the deployment differently, but we timed it well."

After qualifying, Hadjar played down the significance of his contribution, insisting Verstappen's pace would have put him near the front regardless.

"I don't know if I really helped him into second, probably, but he drove very well and anyway he would have been at the front. But to give that bonus was definitely the right thing to do," he said. "I'm happy for the team, I'm happy for him."

Verstappen, however, took a different view, estimating the tow was worth around three tenths of a second—enough to elevate him from a place around sixth on the grid to second in one of the closest qualifying sessions of the season.

Despite lining up alongside Antonelli on the front row, Verstappen expects Sunday's race to be challenging after qualifying more than three tenths slower than the Mercedes driver.

"For sure tomorrow, I think I will be looking in my mirrors with the people around me but at least today we had a really good result," Verstappen said.

"I think the car honestly has been quite decent the whole weekend. Of course not on the level maybe as Kimi, but we're happy of course to be on the front row with how we executed as a team."

While Verstappen prepares to defend his front-row position, Hadjar will begin a recovery drive from the back of the field and is hopeful Red Bull's race-focused setup will allow him to fight back into the points.

"Tomorrow, I hope I can work my way up the grid, stay patient, and get back into the points," he said.