Qualifying rules tweaked

The FIA cut the maximum permitted energy recharge for Saturday qualifying at Suzuka from 9.0 megajoules to 8.0 megajoules, an announcement made on March 25, 2026 after talks with all 11 F1 teams and the sport’s power‑unit manufacturers. (formula1.com) The tweak is qualifying‑specific for this weekend and was driven by team simulations showing a 9MJ limit encouraged extra lifting-and-coasting and the “super‑clipping” technique on high‑speed sections of track. (espn.com) ESPN’s technical analysis estimated the 1.0MJ cut would remove about four seconds of super‑clipping across a lap and slow cars by roughly 0.5 seconds per lap in qualifying trim. (espn.com) Reactions among drivers were mixed: Sky Sports reported many welcomed the targeted change as an improvement to lap purity, while rookie Oliver Bearman publicly warned the measure may simply make the cars slower rather than restoring traditional behaviour. (skysports.com) All five power‑unit suppliers — Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull‑Ford, Audi and Honda — agreed to the adjustment unanimously, and the FIA described the measure as a targeted refinement with further discussions planned in the coming weeks. (formula1.com) Media outlets framed the move as the first significant in‑season refinement to the 2026 power‑unit era after energy‑management oddities in opening rounds such as Melbourne and Shanghai prompted wider concern. (motorsport.com)