– Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies explains that there is a consensus in the Formula 1 paddock: the sport must return to “flat-out qualifying” as soon as possible, where drivers can push at the absolute limit over the entire lap again.
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The background is the new Formula 1 power units. Since these derive almost 50 percent of their power from electrical energy, energy management has become the decisive factor for performance.
In qualifying, this leads to drivers downshifting before corners or lifting off the throttle earlier. They avoid taking fast corners at full speed to save energy and use it more tactically elsewhere.
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While the new racing style has certainly evoked positive reactions, qualifying has been rated negatively so far because it no longer challenges the drivers in the usual way.
“If there is one thing we all agree on – teams, FIA, F1, and the drivers – it is the desire for qualifying at the limit,” Mekies said after the Japanese Grand Prix. “That is the first topic we are focusing on as a sport.”
He continues: “Once we have improved qualifying so that it’s full push again, the races will automatically be somewhat less characterized by tactical games.”
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“While opinions in the pit lane differ on the right amount of tactics in the race, the most important thing is that we return to full-throttle mode in qualifying. That is our common goal.”
Regarding the schedule, however, changes in the middle of the season are difficult to implement – unless it’s a safety issue, as Max Verstappen already noted smugly.
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“Personally, I think the focus should be on getting it right for 2027,” says Mekies. “There is still enough time for that to initiate the necessary steps for a real flat-out qualifying in 2027. For 2026, there are certainly some smaller adjustments we can make.”
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Despite everything, the enormous acceleration of the new cars ensures that lap times are not far from previous values. In Suzuka, Kimi Antonelli secured pole position in 1:28.778 minutes. While that was 1.8 seconds slower than Max Verstappen last year, it was still faster than the pole times of 2022 and 2023 – and faster than any value before 2016.
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