Racing
© Jonathan Borba
After qualifying fourth in Japan, Charles Leclerc warned the 2026-spec cars and power-unit energy rules make it "impossible" to push to the limit in qualifying. He says the change has cost Ferrari and others. He welcomed the FIA's cut in harvestable energy to 8mJ as a step, but not a cure.
Leclerc’s core complaint centers on how the new energy system shapes a single lap. Running a flat-out lap drains energy and hurts straight-line speed on the following stretches. Drivers now balance harvesting and deployment through the lap rather than chasing pure speed. He argued that this turns qualifying into an energy exercise, not a test of who can drive fastest on the limit.
The impact showed in Japan. Oscar Piastri beat Leclerc to the front row, and the Ferrari driver lined up fourth. Leclerc sounded frustrated over team radio after the session. He said the outcome backed his view that qualifying no longer rewards drivers who push hard in every corner. In his eyes, a driver who manages energy with lift-and-coast or careful throttle timing can gain more than a driver who attacks the lap.
Leclerc drew a clear line between qualifying and the race. He praised how the new cars race in traffic and how energy tools create overtakes. He still sees value in the package for Sunday. His concern is that Saturday has swung too far toward management. He wants rules that let drivers push on the limit in qualifying without losing out on the straights. He said teams and drivers remain split on how to adapt. Some embrace the trade-offs. Others, including Ferrari, want tweaks so the fastest lap is about speed, not only about battery use.
He pointed to a few habits that now shape a lap. Lift-and-coast before braking zones, then heavy deployment out of corners, has become common. So has superclipping, where drivers pull extra electrical power at set points. The limits on how much energy can be harvested and then deployed per lap set the ceiling. Within that, each driver chooses where to save and where to spend. Leclerc believes that profile does not suit Ferrari as well as rivals right now. He singled out Mercedes-powered teams and McLaren as better matched to the current rules in qualifying trim. That leaves Ferrari with more to manage on a peak lap.
The FIA moved to address one part of the problem after Japan. It cut the maximum harvestable energy from 9mJ to 8mJ. The aim is to reduce extremes in harvesting and deployment. Leclerc called the change helpful. He said it should soften the worst trade-offs for a qualifying lap. He stressed it does not fix the core issue on its own. He urged further study by teams and the FIA to refine how much energy can be stored and used during a lap.
Leclerc’s stance reflects a broader debate in the paddock about the 2026 format. The new cars are lighter in some areas and more efficient in others. They also rely more on electrical energy for performance. That has changed how drivers build a lap. Braking points, throttle application, and battery state now carry greater weight in sector times. A few tenths can swing on energy use rather than car setup or corner speed. Leclerc accepts the strategic layer in races. He wants qualifying to give drivers space to attack without a penalty on the next straight.
Ferrari will keep working on deployment maps and driving tools to make the most of the rules as they stand. Leclerc said the team must improve its one-lap execution while talks continue with regulators. He framed the 8mJ cap as progress. He also called for more changes so a push lap feels like a push lap. For now, he sees qualifying as a careful balance of harvest and spend, and not the flat-out test fans expect.