McLaren will take advantage of its ‘free’ fifth engine at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the team has confirmed.
The World Motor Sport Council recently passed a rule which gives new engine manufacturers an additional engine, including 2015 newcomer Honda.
Whilst McLaren have already used a fifth engine in Austria, they were penalised for doing so as at the time they were limited to just four engines. Therefore their sixth engine is effectively their fifth penalty free engine.
![Isack Hadjar [pictured] has deferred to Max Verstappen for Day 2 of the F1 pre-season test. Image: Red Bull Content Pool](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Isack-Hadjar-Red-Bull-test-2026-120x86.webp)
McLaren believe the Hungaroring, with its lack of high-speed straights, presents their best opportunity to score a handful of points and they are therefore keen to use a brand new engine.
Whilst their sixth unit will not feature any performance upgrades – Honda have instead chosen to save their remaining tokens after the summer break – it will feature reliability upgrades with the hope of maximising their ERS unit.
![Isack Hadjar [pictured] has deferred to Max Verstappen for Day 2 of the F1 pre-season test. Image: Red Bull Content Pool](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Isack-Hadjar-Red-Bull-test-2026-350x250.webp)
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