2026 Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka, March 27 - 29

[Mogster]

Nor a particular fan of these PU regs but I don’t see how the Bearman - Colopinto incident is any different than a regular ICE or transmission failure. Lots of things can make a car suddenly slow, it was just unfortunate.

[avantman]

I fully agree. The good part in this regulation is the fact you can be tactical with energy use allowing you to become faster in various parts of the circuit. This allows drivers to open up opportunities to fight.

The problem imo is that +50km/h speed differentials (or more with sudden superclipping) seems a bit dangerous to "normalize". This is real life, not the safety of a virtual video game where we slingshot the drivers at one another like missiles because of an overtake button and derating because more kids think it's fun. There is no re-spawn button in F1. You crash and drivers get hurt. Oliver Bearman sustained a 50G accident because of the cartoonish difference in speeds.

A driver pushes the overtake button and doesn't know how many cars he could slingshot past by the end of the straight. This isn't real life, it is need for speed racing. It doesn't have a place in the pinnacle of motorsport imo. People have to have respect for motorsport and what these drivers do. Just because you can turn it to mario kart level antics in order to tickle our most juvenile sensibilities doesn't mean that you should. I am not going to say this race was "boring" because it wasn't. It was something else which made it interesting, but it shouldn't be Formula 1 in my opinion.

The real problem is not safety. Problem is such advantage in terms of terminal velocity in the fight for position has nothing to do with competitive racing and motorsport. Such overtakes become completely meaningless, look horrible, uninspiring, frankly depressing.
But I am all for using ‘safety’ excuse in attempt to find for a fix.

[AR3-GP]

Nor a particular fan of these PU regs but I don’t see how the Bearman - Colopinto incident is any different than a regular ICE or transmission failure. Lots of things can make a car suddenly slow, it was just unfortunate.

There are only 22 cars. The odds that a handful of cars have engine failure and recreate these closing speeds repeatedly in a lap, over multiple laps is very low.

When your formula is entirely based on allowing the overtake, boost, and harvesting differences to create +50km/h speed differentials ahead of 5-6 different corners per lap, between 22 cars a lap, across 53 laps, it's a completely different animal.

[Cassius]

I fully agree. The good part in this regulation is the fact you can be tactical with energy use allowing you to become faster in various parts of the circuit. This allows drivers to open up opportunities to fight.

The problem is there is often only one area where you can use that extra energy to manage a pass. In Japan it was on the start/finish straight. Doing it earlier like Max once tried did not work.

Moreover, due to this regulation set the number of corners where you can outbrake someone has been reduced given that many of them have become clipping braking zones.

And finally it has completely removed the skill of managing tyres given that there are no high speed corners anymore.

Therefore I really don't understand your enthusiasm. As soon as cars converge, engine gremlins are gone, starts optimized, this will be a very boring era as we will not see any on the edge driving anymore, not in qualy, not in the race and passing will be just or maybe even more difficult as before.

[avantman]

Nor a particular fan of these PU regs but I don’t see how the Bearman - Colopinto incident is any different than a regular ICE or transmission failure. Lots of things can make a car suddenly slow, it was just unfortunate.

Give as any example of such dangerous accidents happening before in formula 1, due to sudden ice or transmission failure. I would be satisfied with one single example.

[bananapeel23]

I fully agree. The good part in this regulation is the fact you can be tactical with energy use allowing you to become faster in various parts of the circuit. This allows drivers to open up opportunities to fight.

The problem imo is that +50km/h speed differentials (or more with sudden superclipping) seems a bit dangerous to "normalize". This is real life, not the safety of a virtual game where we slingshot the drivers at one another like missiles because of an overtake button and derating because more kids think it's fun. There is no re-spawn button in F1. You crash and drivers get hurt. Oliver Bearman sustained a 50G accident because of the cartoonish difference in speeds.

You won't get 50 km/h+ closing speeds if superclipping is banned or highly restricted. Energy management will end up looking more sensible.

[McL-H]

What caused the Bearman accident was not battery alone. You can clearly see Colapinto moving to the left to cut Bearman off. While he should be aware of the speed difference. I’m baffled this guy is not receiving a race ban.

[mzso]

I’m still of the opinion that the racing is very interesting, even if I’d prefer it if there was no super clipping and the cars were a bit less energy starved. I don’t mind the pass and re-pass type of racing at all, I think it’s pretty fun.

Yeah. "Pure racing" it is. According to Toto. Btw. I want his drugs.

https://streamable.com/vejtse

I mean energy management can absolutely be considered pure racing. It’s certainly wheel to wheel and strategic, but it’s not full pushing in the traditional sense. I understand why people don’t enjoy it, and I’m certainly no fan of the awful PU they are stuck with, but it’s not like the drivers aren’t making massive efforts to pass and stay ahead just because the PU sucks and forces them to not push in certain corners.

Again, I don’t mind drivers having to manage energy and being punished for doing it sloppily, like Russell. I do mind how awful it is to see cars slow down and downshift on full throttle, however. Those are two different things, though.

I don’t think the cars would race much different with no superclipping, they would just be slower. If they didn’t superclip, the yoyo racing would be considered a good thing.

There is an old rule - truth is the opposite of what Toto says, literally.

Toto has not shied away from criticizing these engines either. He has mostly criticized how they act in quali, but pretty much the entire paddock agrees that they suck, including Merc higher-ups and drivers.

I'd use caution in changing anything. It can easily devolve into centipede racing if they mess around too much with regen and deployments.

[DJ Downforce]

Real F1 fans would never like this rules, DTS fans will of course .

In my opinion, "real" f1 fans would appreciate a multitude of views on the state of the sport, without gatekeeping and acting abrasive.

[DJ Downforce]

Nor a particular fan of these PU regs but I don’t see how the Bearman - Colopinto incident is any different than a regular ICE or transmission failure. Lots of things can make a car suddenly slow, it was just unfortunate.

Give as any example of such dangerous accidents happening before in formula 1, due to sudden ice or transmission failure. I would be satisfied with one single example.

Webber and Kovalainen in Valencia 2010 was pretty dangerous, and that was due to a crazy quick closing speed.

[fourmula1]

Real F1 fans would never like this rules, DTS fans will of course .

In my opinion, "real" f1 fans would appreciate a multitude of views on the state of the sport, without gatekeeping and acting abrasive.

+1 This is just another year in F1...it evolves...it will come around...it will be better for having gone through this. And without sounding derogatory or taking a jab at anyone I don't understand how people claim to know what "real racing" is from behind a keyboard unless you have real world race experience.

[avantman]

Nor a particular fan of these PU regs but I don’t see how the Bearman - Colopinto incident is any different than a regular ICE or transmission failure. Lots of things can make a car suddenly slow, it was just unfortunate.

Give as any example of such dangerous accidents happening before in formula 1, due to sudden ice or transmission failure. I would be satisfied with one single example.

Webber and Kovalainen in Valencia 2010 was pretty dangerous, and that was due to a crazy quick closing speed.

Why did you mention it then if the reasoning was completely different, than one being discussed? It was drivers mistake misjudgment, when a driver behind brakes too late or misses the braking point, Kovalainen car was perfectly fine. There have been plenty of such accidents, that’s not what i asked for.

[avantman]

Real F1 fans would never like this rules, DTS fans will of course .

In my opinion, "real" f1 fans would appreciate a multitude of views on the state of the sport, without gatekeeping and acting abrasive.

+1 This is just another year in F1...it evolves...it will come around...it will be better for having gone through this. And without sounding derogatory or taking a jab at anyone I don't understand how people claim to know what "real racing" is from behind a keyboard unless you have real world race experience.

Formula 1 degrades, although understandingly
Peolle might see it as progress, evolvement. It has been going south consistently since 2022 at very least, or probably even since 2017 which was the first big step in completely wrong direction, when they previously had perfectly raceable, little cars, a concept which should have been developed further. But someone at the top put optics and how the cars looked ahead of essense, true racing.

[PlatinumZealot]

Slightly boring race but it was way better than last years. Was the superclipping hurting the racing here? No. Not really. Drivers could actually overtake comparwd to last year. Was the superclipping hurting the spectacle? Yeah. One can argue it was.

We did have overtakes after 130R into the chicane but it wasn't hard on the brakes send it in, it was like "coastdowns" lol..

But for real the engines need tweaking but in general the racing has been better than last years. The spectacle of competition has been hurt though.

[langedweil]

Just opted out of my renewal .. this is way too ridiculous. Skipped through the "watch in 30" in under 5 minutes, and my God ..
Sad the whole concept is dumped into an "Idiocracy" form.
Good luck fighting each other in here for the rest of the year.