Suzuka driving challenge “gone” with 2026 F1 cars

Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso feels Suzuka’s driving challenge is “gone” with the 2026 regulations as they are.

The storied Japanese Grand Prix venue is a driver favourite with its challenging first sector Esses and its high-speed Degner and Spoon sequences. However, due to the energy saving demands of F1’s 2026 regulations, drivers are approaching those corners at lower speeds as they are useful opportunities to recharge the battery. 

In that respect, Suzuka bears similarities to Melbourne’s Albert Park as a challenging venue for these regulations, because it has only few hard braking zones where drivers can harvest energy naturally.

According to veteran Alonso, that means Suzuka’s unique driver challenge is now nowhere to be found.

“It’s gone,” he 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.”

Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto didn’t fully agree with his mentor’s assessment, because nailing a qualifying lap still requires skill and precision.

“It is still extremely enjoyable, I would say. 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.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc backed the FIA’s decision to limit the total energy deployment in qualifying from 9 to 8 MJ for the Suzuka weekend as it prevented more severe instances of lifting and coasting as well as ‘super clipping’, where drivers charge the battery while staying on the throttle. 

“I think it would have been a lot worse if they didn’t make anything happen,” Leclerc said. “So, I think it’s going in the right direction. Whether another step is needed or something else could make more of a difference is still to be seen. In the gap from here to Miami there will be a lot of brainstorming from not only the FIA, but also the teams for sending propositions of trying to make those rules better in qualifying.

“I honestly think that in the race it’s actually a pretty good car and it doesn’t change much from last year’s car. The driving style doesn’t change much. In qualifying, it’s just a bit frustrating at the moment.”

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– The Autosport.com Team