2026 Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka, March 27 - 29

[venkyhere]

The only downside to having the drivers deploy manually is that the overall lap times would likely be slower by someway. It would improve the racing though.

I think the drivers having entirely manual deployment in qualy would improve things and at least allow drivers to make abit of difference.

It would be a test of the driver (grip feel + cerebral ability) rather than a test of the AI algorithm expert within the engg team. If the 4MJ battery runs dry or is used sub optimally, it would be the fault of the driver and his race engineer.

[Mcl_G10]

The only downside to having the drivers deploy manually is that the overall lap times would likely be slower by someway. It would improve the racing though.

I think the drivers having entirely manual deployment in qualy would improve things and at least allow drivers to make abit of difference.

It would be a test of the driver (grip feel + cerebral ability) rather than a test of the AI algorithm expert within the engg team. If the 4MJ battery runs dry or is used sub optimally, it would be the fault of the driver and his race engineer.

I agree

[fourmula1]

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.

I’ve said before here F1 is entertainment business first.

But I’m eager to hear more from a “true racer” such as yourself. Some people here seem to know what “real racing” is but they don’t really ever share it. Just that this isn't it.

[bananapeel23]

But I’m eager to hear more from a “true racer” such as yourself. Some people here seem to know what “real racing” is but they don’t really ever share it. Just that this isn't it.

Clearly it is a 1000 bhp V10 lugging around 200kg of fuel with none of the gimmicks like DRS or other overtaking aids or gimmicks like refueling or degrading tyres. We want 2005 without refueling!

How do we get overtakes? We don’t need them if gimmicks are what we need to get them.

Real men watch 60 lap Trulli trains with no overtakes at all. That’s pure racing for real men. Enjoyment is for Drive to survive fans.

[PlatinumZealot]

You drive to survive fans and so called "purists" are free to leave if you want. I will tolerate this "mushroom mode" form of racing and see where it goes.

[langedweil]

But I’m eager to hear more from a “true racer” such as yourself. Some people here seem to know what “real racing” is but they don’t really ever share it. Just that this isn't it.

Clearly it is a 1000 bhp V10 lugging around 200kg of fuel with none of the gimmicks like DRS or other overtaking aids or gimmicks like refueling or degrading tyres. We want 2005 without refueling!

How do we get overtakes? We don’t need them if gimmicks are what we need to get them.

Real men watch 60 lap Trulli trains with no overtakes at all. That’s pure racing for real men. Enjoyment is for Drive to survive fans.

Who said we don't want refueling ?
You're right about the 1000hp; I'd love V10's but I could easily embrace a proper V6 hybrid, as long as it has 1000hp at any time.
Diverting from a DRS aid at specific locations, to electrical OM anywhere a driver desires; I'd like to think it's at least better than DRS as it can be used more unpredictably.
What needs to go is slowing down significantly in corners to be able to charge, to run out of power on a straights (less deployment?), LiCo for charging purposes, superclipping or anything that's caused by some sort of energy starvation, and most of all : no AI regulated deployment interference at any time. Use AWS before a race as much as you'd like to test strategy; on track it should be driver decision only, possibly viewable by team.

In a nutshell ..

[F1doc]

Catching up with this thread has been a very interesting read. The rule changes this year are very divisive. It's no longer flat-out racing which has diluted the sporting element to F1. Rather than a sport, this is now an entertainment product. A fine illustration is the official F1 website now has regular articles about betting.

For me, the disillusionment is real. This was the first GP I've deliberately missed since Suzuka 1996 when Damon clinched his title.

[FittingMechanics]

Who said we don't want refueling ?
You're right about the 1000hp; I'd love V10's but I could easily embrace a proper V6 hybrid, as long as it has 1000hp at any time.
Diverting from a DRS aid at specific locations, to electrical OM anywhere a driver desires; I'd like to think it's at least better than DRS as it can be used more unpredictably.
What needs to go is slowing down significantly in corners to be able to charge, to run out of power on a straights (less deployment?), LiCo for charging purposes, superclipping or anything that's caused by some sort of energy starvation, and most of all : no AI regulated deployment interference at any time. Use AWS before a race as much as you'd like to test strategy; on track it should be driver decision only, possibly viewable by team.

In a nutshell ..

To me DRS and Overtake mode (additional recharge amount) are both bad and "gimmicks". They are making the playing field uneven just because someone is behind a set amount at arbitrary point on track. DRS is worse of the two because it has no downsides for the car behind. For overtake mode you need ability to recharge more and that comes with it's own set of issues (you may expose yourself to the car behind).

Ability to use energy in different spots (without overtake mode) is what I like about these rules. I think it will allow for much more on track action with a level playing field. Once drivers adapt to this it will lead to better races.

Superclipping and LiCo I would ban immediately. They were added only because they can't recharge enough with normal braking and take away from the challenge. So what if the cars can harvest 4MJ of the 8 MJ total. They will be slower but laptime is not that important. I am hoping that with time (and development) they start to tune down these recharge amounts until we can get rid of superclip and lico.

[langedweil]

To me DRS and Overtake mode (additional recharge amount) are both bad and "gimmicks". They are making the playing field uneven just because someone is behind a set amount at arbitrary point on track.

Well, than slipstreaming should be way more useful (which in a sense is alike drs), but than you need way more nimble cars and aero developmeny protection to be able to follow. But nowadays with all this fluid dynamics so insanely much more can be modelled than way back in history, so I doubt that would work.
Still think drs could have been way better if adjusted for lengte and added value, but overall cars should be able to follow better without killing the tires immediately. That's been another achillesheel and a whole different discussion.

[Seanspeed]

The moment his Ferrari gets back to where it belongs - around 4th fastest car on the grid

What the hell is this comment? :/

Why does Ferrari 'belong' as 4th fastest?

[FittingMechanics]

To me DRS and Overtake mode (additional recharge amount) are both bad and "gimmicks". They are making the playing field uneven just because someone is behind a set amount at arbitrary point on track.

Well, than slipstreaming should be way more useful (which in a sense is alike drs), but than you need way more nimble cars and aero developmeny protection to be able to follow. But nowadays with all this fluid dynamics so insanely much more can be modelled than way back in history, so I doubt that would work.
Still think drs could have been way better if adjusted for lengte and added value, but overall cars should be able to follow better without killing the tires immediately. That's been another achillesheel and a whole different discussion.

I get what they were trying to do with DRS (slipstream) but the method in which it was used was bad. The whole detection point and then you can use it on a specific straight (or even worse on two straights) is bad. They should have made the detection point at the start of each DRS zone, this would remove the DRS line games that we sometimes saw. 1 second detection gap was also probably too small, they should have experimented with making it bigger so that the cars can pull forward when in that dirty air zone.

In ideal world they would made it work like slipstream did, you get the benefit while you are behind but the moment you break slipstream it is off.

With this ruleset I don't think overtake mode is really needed. I'd love to see data about it. In the cooldown room Piastri didn't seem to think it helped a lot.

[LM10]

Any thoughts of Redbull and how they could do better here? I don't think we need to really think about the Mercedes and Mclaren's being way up there in the front.

Forgot Ferrari?

Didn't think I would be correct

Well, you weren’t.

[mzso]

I concur with both you and Norris. This was my post from a few pages ago :

I have an easy solution - allow deployment/recharge manually (two buttons), by the driver, no AI stuff. Throttle/brake pedal position can be used to determine rate of deployment/recharge that each button press commands. Driver has to use his brain and driving skill, simultaneously. Right now, driver is just a pedal press timer.

Would accomplish nothing but turning the driver into a human computer trying his best to do the same thing as the actual computer would.

[mzso]

I think the most obvious way to improve on what we get now is limit clipping in such a way that drivers reach a top speed which can they maintain to the end of the straight. Instead of peaking early then slowing down. This would both result in less top speed (with a hit on the laptime) and them needing to generate during turns. Which is less efficient, further increasing laptime.

However a likely outcome could be the return of car trains. I think the eclectic charge level situation may be the only thing that results in cars making overtaking moves. So maybe they will hardly change anything.

[vorticism]

Carlos Sainz:
"The accident that happened today with Bearman—we've been warning the FIA and FOM as drivers that it was only a matter of time"

Yeah, but think of all the fuel that was saved right before he was almost killed.