The FIA have introduced a rule tweak ahead of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix as the new regulations continue to cause uproar.
F1’s governing body has introduced a rule for qualifying which is aimed at reducing the amount of ‘lifting and coasting’ required on a fast lap.
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The rule will reduce the permitted energy recharge each lap in Saturday’s qualifying hour from 9.0 megajoules to 8.0 megajoules.
This means there should be less ‘super clipping,’ a new phenom in the hybrid era where drivers drop significant speeds without using a brake, harvesting electricity while at full throttle, typically at the end of straights or in high-speed corners, to recharge the battery.
Damning footage of this went viral on Friday during the second practice session around the Suzuka Circuit.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lost 57km/h of speed despite being full throttle the entire time as he made his may around the famous 15th corner of the track known as 130r.
The four-time world champion went from hitting 325km/h before dropping to 268km/h without touching the brake.
Watch footage of Verstappen’s car ‘super clipping’ in the video player above
Fans watching the footage of a throttle to the floor Verstappen losing speed at an alarming rate weren’t happy at all.
Porsche racing driver Steve Alvarez Brown wrote on X: “This is absolutely tragic to see.”
Another wrote: “Man, this is unwatchable and this will ruin F1.”
A second added: “What happened to this sport?”
A third wrote: “Yeah, this sport is officially dead. Watching GT3 last week felt like a completely different universe compared to this joke.”
Another posted: “I can’t take you seriously if you’re okay with this I’m sorry.”
The rule tweak means the cars, during qualifying, won’t need to clip as much energy to recharge the battery meaning drivers shouldn’t be losing a heap of speed.
All five of F1’s power unit manufacturers – Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull-Ford, Audi and Honda – have unanimously agreed with the FIA.
The new era of F1 cars have led to a different style of driving where drivers lift and coast or the power unit ‘super clips’ to optimise the engine’s output.
This has led to an increase in overtaking, which has divided opinion between drivers, team bosses and fans across the globe.
But it was felt when it comes to qualifying that change was needed so the drivers can push closer to the limit of car performance.
During the Australian Grand Prix there were 120 overtakes, a huge increase from the 45 that unfolded during the 2025 race.
But Lando Norris and Verstappen heavily criticised the new regulations — Norris labelled the overtaking “artificial”.
“We’ve come from the best cars ever made in Formula One, and the nicest to drive, to probably the worst. It sucks,” Norris said after qualifying.
“Everyone knows what the issues are. It’s just the fact the engine is a 50-50 split and it just doesn’t work.”
Ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, Verstappen did not hold back when voicing his displeasure with the new cars.
“I’ve found a cheaper solution. I swapped the simulator for my Nintendo Switch and, yeah, practising a bit of Mario Kart, actually,” he said when asked about getting used to the new style of racing.
“Yeah, finding the mushrooms is going quite well. The blue shell is a bit more difficult, but I’m working on it. The rockets are still not there. The rocket is coming.”
Qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix will take place at 5pm (AEDT) on Saturday, we will wait and see if the tweak does anything to win over fans and drivers.
