Have new rules butchered one of F1's best qualifying laps? Drivers underwhelmed at Japanese GP

Several drivers were left underwhelmed in qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix due to Formula 1’s new power unit regulations. 

Japan’s Suzuka Circuit has long been considered one of the greatest racing circuits in the world. Often dubbed a ‘proper driver’s track’ due to the challenge posed by its relentless combination of high-speed, sweeping corners that drivers have likened to being on a rollercoaster. With limited run-off areas and ‘old school’ gravel traps, Suzuka rewards the brave and bites back hard, punishing any mistakes. 

F1 qualifying at Suzuka typically provides one of the highlights of a season, but as a result of the biggest rule change in the series’ history, drivers believe the exhilarating thrill of the circuit has been diminished. 

The need to harvest electrical energy in high-speed sections of tracks has resulted in the speed of cars dramatically decreasing towards the end of straights, even when drivers remain on full throttle. 

Following a rather subdued qualifying at Suzuka, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who has driven several generations of F1 cars around the legendary venue, complained the challenge has now “gone”. 

"It's gone," the Aston Martin driver said. "I told you in Bahrain, the chef could drive the car in Turn 10/11. Maybe not the chef, but 50% of the team members, I think, at least can drive in Suzuka. Because, as I said a few times already, high-speed corners now become the charging station for the car.

"You go slower, you charge the battery in the high-speed [sections], and then you have the full power on the straight. So, driver skill is not really needed anymore. You just need to back off the throttle or turn down the battery and you charge the thing. So, yeah, no more challenge in the high-speed.”

‘It hurts your soul’ 

Asked if the experience of a qualifying lap at Suzuka is still as enjoyable as before, reigning world champion Lando Norris replied: “Compared to last year, and the previous few years, certainly not.

"It still hurts your soul when you see your speed dropping so much - 56 kph down the straight. 

“It still feels quick, it’s not like the lap times are miles off. A 1m26.9 was pole last year, so it’s a couple of seconds, which is a lot but it’s also not a huge amount. 

“It still feels special, it still feels like an on-edge lap and you are taking risks here and there. Does it feel as amazing as last year? No, I don’t think any track will, but we will have to get used to that.”

Charles Leclerc was left fuming over his Ferrari team radio after qualifying fourth for the Japanese Grand Prix, lamenting: “I honestly can’t stand these new rules in qualifying, it’s a f**king joke. I go faster in corners, I go on throttle earlier, for f**k’s sake I'm losing everything in the straight!”.

The Monegasque has been left frustrated that his high-risk approach to qualifying is backfiring more than it is paying off. 

"With our car, in Q3, that’s where you want to get out on the track and try things you’ve never tried before, taking risks you’ve never taken before and that’s what’s been rewarding for most of us in all our careers,” he explained. 

“Now this is not possible anymore. Anytime you go a little bit over the limit, any time you have a little bit of a snap, this is costing energy on the power unit side and then you pay the price more. 

“So I feel like at the moment consistency is paying off more than being brave and trying something which you never tried before, which is a shame and makes qualifying a little bit less challenging and this is something that we need to work on. 

“But it’s a known issue, it’s not that the FIA or the teams are just accepting the issue as it is, there is a lot of work behind the scenes and I hope we can find a solution as soon as possible.”

Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton said: “It’s pretty on the limit, particularly through the first section. But then once you get to Turn 6, you can't be on the limit really as much through there, you have to save battery power.

“So definitely one of the least enjoyable in that respect of having full power through the whole lap. That element I don't think is really a great part of the racing.”

F1 drivers feel ‘handcuffed’ 

Even Kimi Antonelli, who beat Mercedes team-mate George Russell to claim his second successive pole position, admitted drivers feel limited by the need to manage energy. 

"Obviously, there are parts of the track where you're a little bit limited, a bit handcuffed on driving because of energy,” said the 19-year-old Italian, who was notably more positive than most of his rivals. 

“But I think still the esses are pretty good fun, because at the end of the day the car on the chassis side, it's very good fun. And the esses in qualifying were getting pretty quick, so it was good fun.

“Of course, there's still work to do around these big tracks with the energy, how to find a solution that allows us to push even more and drive without thinking too much, especially in certain places. 

“But overall, I think it was good fun, qualifying, because at the end also you look at the lap times and they're not so far off from last year.”

There was a direct correlation between drivers who felt they got the most out of their qualifying laps and being less critical.

"It is still extremely enjoyable, I would say,” was Gabriel Bortoleto’s take after taking a brilliant ninth for Audi. “I can feel like when I'm doing the high-speed corners and when I get out of that session, I start to breathe even better. 

“It is still incredible how quick we go through the corners and how precise you need to be. And also, the way I like my car, it's normally quite on the limit. So, you need to be extremely precise, especially in a Q2 or Q3 lap, to not make a mistake and put a great lap out there.”

Haas’ Ollie Bearman, who suffered his first Q1 exit of the season, said: “It’s a lot less rewarding to do a good lap in Suzuka - not that I did one - than it was last year. The amount of management that you have to do is a bit frustrating, but that's our new reality.”

Qualifying tweak has little impact 

In an attempt to mitigate the problem of extreme harvesting measures, F1’s governing body reduced the maximum permitted energy recharge in qualifying from 9MJ to 8MJ in a last-minute rule change ahead of the weekend. 

While drivers largely agreed it was a step in the right direction for F1, the impact of the tweak was minimal. Russell was among those who felt the FIA could have gone further. 

"A bit disappointed in qualifying as the more you pushed the slower you went,” was Williams driver Carlos Sainz’s verdict. "That's what happened to me in Q2.

"I think I had a bit less slipstream in my lap and I was in clean air. I went quicker in every corner, slower in every straight and I went 0.1 seconds slower. 

“And that's simply because I spent more time full throttle because I went faster in the corners and pushed harder at a high speed, pushed everywhere.”

The Spaniard added: "Super clipping came into the deployment a bit and there was lift and coast also in that quali lap, so overall not good enough for F1. 

"Listening to the FIA yesterday they seem to be pushing and have a plan in mind, but I'm a bit worried that some teams will push back and be against changing it too much because they have other interests.

"But I think we have made it clear from the drivers that it needs to get better and hopefully they will listen to the drivers instead of the teams.”

Further discussions between relevant stakeholders are set to take place in the upcoming five-week gap in April following the cancellation of the Middle East double-header due to the Iran war.