Should we be worried about energy management during the Australian Grand Prix?

As part of the regulatory change of the F1The new engines are now 50% electric, requiring rigorous energy management. While F1 drivers were able to familiarize themselves with this new element during two rounds of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Australia, where the 2026 season will kick off, raises significant questions due to its characteristics.

Albert Park was indeed the third fastest circuit on the calendar in 2025, behind Monza and Jeddah, with an average qualifying speed of 253,1 km/h and a top speed of 336,3 km/h. By comparison, the Sakhir circuit in 2025 averaged 217 km/h during qualifying and had a top speed of 326 km/h.

During the Shakedown in Barcelona at the end of January, the teams were able to gauge their performance on a track more similar to Australia: drivers spent approximately 8,5 seconds on the brakes there, compared to 8,3 seconds in Melbourne. This is almost half the time spent in Bahrain, where braking phases reached 16,2 seconds.

Energy management through braking

In an effort to simplify the power units, the MGU-H has been removed. Now, F1 cars rely solely on the MGU-K to recover energy through braking. The "Recharge" mode also allows for manual energy recovery when the driver lifts off the throttle (a process known as "lift and coast") or when energy is recovered at the end of a straight while the car is still at full throttle ("super clipping"). In short, if a circuit has fewer braking zones, the driver will be able to recover less energy.

However, in Melbourne, only 2,9 MJ of energy can be recovered during braking, compared to 5,7 MJ in Sakhir. It's also worth noting that the regulations allow a total energy deployment of 8,5 MJ per lap, meaning drivers must use lift and coast to recharge their batteries in Australia. Otherwise, they risk depleting their batteries and losing power. It should be remembered, however, that these statistics are based on data from the previous generation of ground-effect F1 cars.

In accordance with article C.5.2.10 of the technical regulations, the FIA ​​may, however, cap recoverable energy at 8 MJ during the race and 5 MJ per lap during qualifying. This latter restriction may only be imposed eight times per season (article B7.2.1c). The governing body could also lower the maximum electrical power used (350 kW).

The FIA ​​is required to communicate these limits to the teams at least four weeks before an event, but later intervention is possible for the smooth running and safety of the event.

While the Melbourne track is a cause for concern, the Jeddah track – even faster – is already shaping up to be a real problem. While some drivers, like Carlos SainzThe director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) is advocating for more flexibility in F1, but the FIA ​​has not yet indicated a change of course, although it did change the starting procedure for safety reasons.

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