How will energy management impact F1 Qualifying at Suzuka?

By 2026, energy management has become a key factor in performance. Formula 1forcing drivers to adopt a strategic approach, far removed from their primal instinct: pushing the machine to its limit. Because this season, pushing the car too hard... car paradoxically, this can degrade overall performance. This is particularly striking during qualifying, where drivers now have to curb their enthusiasm on a lap that is supposed to be fast.

« The main thing was to manage everything well in qualifying rather than pushing to the limit as we had become accustomed to doing in Q3 in recent years.indeed, emphasizes Charles Leclerc at a press conference in Suzuka. Qualifying isn't the time when I have the most fun, so it's perhaps something we need to look into. »

Oliver Bearman echoed these sentiments. We push harder and harder throughout qualifying, and by the final attempt, we're trying to extract the maximum, but in the end, it's slower. In reality, it's better to maintain 99% of your pace and do consistent laps, which goes somewhat against our nature. He regrets.

To address the difficulties observed during the first two Grands Prix – particularly to limit the widespread use of "super clipping" (cutting off electrical power at the end of a straight at full power) and "lift and coast" (lifting off the throttle to recharge) – the FIA ​​has made a decision. The maximum permitted energy recharge has been reduced from 9,0 MJ to 8,0 MJ for this weekend, with the objective of maintain qualifications as a performance challenge ».

A solution that could be improved, according to Oliver Bearman. It just makes us even slower. On the one hand, we no longer need to do lift and coast, which is probably a bit better for us, but we still have to recharge the energy and we spend a lot of time without power because we're losing a megajoule compared to what we had in the simulation and before coming here. […] If we could recover 350 kW while at full acceleration (compared to 250 kW currently, editor's note)I think it would make life easier for everyone. " suggests the Briton.

On the Suzuka circuit, where Max Verstappen had secured an epic pole position in 2025, so the spectacle risks suffering as a result. The legendary curves, once tackled at full throttle, now demand a certain restraint. There will clearly be places where it simply won't be as spectacular. deplores Lando Norris. We'll start to be limited when we get to Spoon. It's one of the fastest corners, where you enter at incredibly high speeds. Last year, for example, I wasn't even braking on the way into Spoon. »

So, while Saturday is expected to be less exciting, the drivers remain more optimistic for Sunday's race, despite the sometimes artificial nature of some overtakes.

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