The FIA has announced that for this weekend the maximum permitted recharge during qualifying will be 8.0 Megajoules, down from the previously-announced limit of 9.0 Megajoules.
The intention is to limit battery reliance and therefore superclipping in the hope that drivers will be able to lean on the cars more during qualifying.
Qualifying has been worst hit by the new-for-2026 technical regulations, with battery deployment favouring both consistency and harvesting more than flat-out driving.
That effectively means a more conservative approach often results in better lap time, which in turn makes qualifying less spectacular and a diminished driving challenge.
“Following discussions between the FIA, F1 teams and power unit manufacturers, a minor adjustment to the energy management parameters for qualifying at the Japanese GP has been agreed with the unanimous support of all power unit manufacturers.
“To ensure that the intended balance between energy deployment and driver performance is maintained, the maximum permitted energy recharge for qualifying this weekend has been reduced from 9.0 MJ to 8.0 MJ.
“This adjustment reflects feedback from drivers and teams, who have emphasised the importance of maintaining qualifying as a performance challenge.
“The FIA notes that the first events under the 2026 regulations have been operationally successful, and this targeted refinement is part of the normal process of optimisation as the new regulatory framework is further validated in real-world conditions.
“The FIA, together with F1 teams and power unit manufacturers, continues to embrace evolutions to energy management, with further discussions scheduled in the coming weeks.”
Discussion about this post