Qualifying closer to the limit and fewer opportunistic overtakes: How F1 will change from Miami

However, there is an important clarification to be made: super-clipping, the process where the MGU-K works against the internal combustion engine at full throttle on the straights to recharge the battery, will be increased from 250 to 350kW, making it actually more effective. Nevertheless, the reduction in the total amount of energy allowed to be recovered means the necessity to rely on super-clipping will actually decrease. According to FIA estimates, its usage will drop lap times to approximately 2-4 seconds per lap.

How qualifying is going to change

But how will qualifying unfold with these latest updates taking effect in Miami? To provide a deeper look, McLaren has released a series of comparative charts, overlaying the actual telemetry trace from this year’s Australian GP (in orange) with a simulation of how the new regulatory framework would impact performance on the same circuit (in green).

Photo by: McLaren

As the data illustrates, the changes debuting at the Miami GP mean that, with a reduced energy, cars will inevitably reach lower top speeds. This triggers two interconnected effects: since less energy can be harvested, the recharging phase becomes less aggressive. Consequently, this will mitigate the pronounced speed drop at the end of straights previously triggered by lift-and-coast or super-clipping.

This will result in energy being redistributed across the full length of the straight. Although peak speed will be lower, the cars will actually arrive at the braking zone carrying more speed than in the opening three rounds. This shift occurs because the internal combustion engine (ICE) will be regain its primary function, rather than being used to recharge the battery via super-clipping.

The combination of these two elements ensures that the loss of speed on the straights will be more contained than before, even if it still carries a cost in terms of lap time. According to McLaren, the average deficit will be around two to three tenths of a second, though this figure will vary depending on the specific characteristics of each track. Furthermore, there will be adjustments to how and when the ECU cuts power from the MGU-K, ensuring that any minor driving errors do not have a disproportionate impact on energy consumption.

“[The impact] Is relatively small, a few tenths if that. It's a little bit track specific. So in qualifying as we saw in that example it comes a little bit from loss of some deployment on the straights. In the race, I didn't show it, but as you may be aware we've got a reduced level of power in regions of the track that don't include a straight mode zone so we will lose some lap time in those. But then actually also you use a little bit of energy there and you use that energy elsewhere. So two or three tenths, but it is track specific,” Mark Temple, McLaren’s technical director - performance, said.

How duels are going to change

These regulatory adjustments extend beyond qualifying. In the wake of the incident between Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto at Suzuka, the FIA and the teams have collaborated to minimise the speed differences between attacking and defending cars. The objective was to enhance safety without compromising the overtaking and counter-overtaking dynamics that provide the 'show'.

Two specific measures have been implemented to address this issue. First, in track sectors where active aerodynamics are restricted, electric power deployment during the race will be capped at 250kW, even when 'overtake mode' is engaged. Conversely, on straights where wings can open for the straight mode, output will remain at full 350kW. Furthermore, the overall effectiveness of the boost function has been changed to ensure that speed deltas between drivers remain within a safer, more manageable threshold.

In this regard, McLaren has produced a graph illustrating the evolution of race dynamics and overtaking manoeuvres in Miami. With a reduced total energy quantity that the car can use, the strategic deployment of the MGU-K will carry more weight than it did under the initial iteration of these regulations.

Photo by: McLaren

“Let’s take from Turn 1 to 4. If you use the boost in that region then with previous regulations you would gain a very high amount of straight speed, as you see in orange, and then with the reduction in power from 350 to 250 kilowatts you get the green one. So there's a reduced speed advantage on the baseline car. So in those areas then it will be harder to overtake. And that's really the intent because the judgment is that if there's not a straight mode there then it's a less appropriate place for overtaking,” Temple added, referencing the graph above.

“The other change is applicable everywhere which is that now if you do a later boost, so as the power peaks at the start of straight and then starts to ramp down, previously if you pressed the boost button you were getting the full 350 kilowatts whereas now that's reduced so that you either maintain the power level that you have dropped to or if you're below 150 kilowatts it will come back up to 150 kilowatts.”

For instance, the collision between Bearman and Colapinto occurred in a sector where active aero was restricted. Under the new rules, should a similar scenario unfold, engaging the boost would no longer trigger the full 350 kW MGU-K output; instead, it would be capped at a lower threshold, effectively reducing the closing speed. Consequently, overtaking is expected to shift back towards more traditional zones, similar to last year, where drivers are permitted to deploy maximum energy.

“I think we will see less chance of maybe opportunistic overtakes in some of the more unusual places, but I think that's the right compromise for safety. But I think on the main straight it will be largely unaffected,” Temple concluded.

“I think there is still that possibility if we think about two long straights one after the other, so this kind of long straight into Turn 17 and then down to Turn 1, you could still have a car that is essentially doing a bad job of overtaking and using too much energy and then being repassed on the next straight. Personally, I actually think that is quite a good thing because it forces a little bit more of a strategic element to overtaking. The driver has to think more and it will reward the drivers who are thinking about and learning from and optimising what they're doing.”

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